Saving SOULs
by xxApocalypsexx
Summary: When someone is in trouble, it's not in Frisk's nature to leave them. He'll go out of his way to SAVE them. Male Frisk, Female First Child.
1. Saving Asriel

**A/N: Yet another Undertale fic...this one takes place after a multitude of runs, and the assumption that Chara is NOT a manifestation of the player. I'll leave it up to you to figure out the order of the runs. Enjoy.**

* * *

It was a strange power, this _'DETERMINATION'_. Frisk could explore countless timelines, each differing in subtle ways, and yet, the complexity of living SOULs continued to astound him. It took him so long, but with the guidance of Flowey, he was able to do it. He was able to make everyone happy...

But not Flowey.

In a way, he could understand his actions. It's why he didn't get angry, even when he was barely conscious from his attacks. He accepted Flowey's attacks, and fully expected to wake up a short distance back, before he faced Asgore. Imagine his surprise when his friends joined forces to protect and heal him. Yet even this seemed to play into his hands. He absorbed their SOULs and revealed his true form, and true name.

Asriel Dreemurr.

Son of Toriel and Asgore.

Adopted brother of Chara, the First Child.

And his final opponent.

He was ridiculously powerful, his magic completely insane...and yet is was but a portion of his true power.

When he began using his true strength, it became almost more than he could bear, his SOUL shattering under the weight of his attacks, yet refusing to fall.

And despite this, up until he realized he could SAVE his friends, it still seemed hopeless. But now...

"Wh...what did you do? What's this feeling? What's happening to me? No! NO! I don't need anyone!"

Frisk desperately dodged the attacks, while he knew he could survive on DETERMINATION alone, it still hurt.

 _'I realize that he's not the bad guy here...he just couldn't feel love, or compassion. He just wanted to feel...something. Anything...even self-hatred. But...I want to SAVE him from that.'_

"STOP IT! GET AWAY FROM ME! Do you hear me!? I'll tear you apart!" Asriel screamed.

Again, Frisk dodged the attacks...which were now much less numerous.

 _'I don't think even 'he' wants to fight anymore.'_

Frisk reached out to Asriel with his SOUL once again.

"Chara...Do you know why I'm doing this...? Why I keep fighting to keep you around...?"

This time, Asriel's attacks weren't even close to hitting him.

 _'Just like Toriel...I wonder...'_

Asriel looked like he was about to burst into tears.

"I'm doing this...because you're special, Chara. You're the only one that understands me. You're the only one that's any fun to play with anymore."

 _'...you need me. Asriel...no matter what...I'm not abandoning you.'_

"...No...That's not JUST it. I...I...I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara, I care about you more than anyone else! I'm not ready for this to end! I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again..."

 _'...again? He must mean Chara...'_

Asriel finally broke down, and started crying, even as he continued to plead.

"So please...STOP doing this...AND JUST LET ME WIN!"

Asriel screamed, and powerful magic gathered in his hands.

 _'...Asriel...it's ok...'_

Frisk readied himself for what was sure to be a painful experience.

The multicolored beam slammed into Frisk, and pain became all he could feel, as his life-force, his HP, ticked lower and lower.

Hp:1/20

Hp:.9/20

Hp:.5/20

 **"STOP IT!"**

HP:.1/20

HP:.01/20

 **"STOP IT NOW!"**

HP:.001/20

HP:.0001/20

HP:.000001/20

HP:.000000001/20

And it stopped. Frisk barely clung to life, to consciousness, but he remained standing.

 _'I...will...save...you...even...if...it...kills...me...'_

"Chara..."

 _'Asriel...'_

"I'm so alone, Chara..."

 _'Not anymore.'_

"I'm so afraid, Chara..."

 _'I'm here with you.'_

"Chara...I...I..."

Frisk felt the tension leave, as Asriel finally lost the will to fight. Asriel changed from his terrible form...back to that of the monster child he had seen before the battles beginning.

"I'm so sorry." Asriel spoke, his true voice restored. After a moment, he stopped crying and wiped his eyes.

"I always was a crybaby, wasn't I Chara?"

"..." Frisk didn't quite know how to broach the subject of his name.

"...I know, you're not actually Chara, are you?" Asriel said.

"...No, I'm not." Frisk spoke for the first time.

"Chara's been gone for a long time...um...what...what is your name?" Asriel asked.

"...Frisk."

"Frisk? That's...a nice name." Asriel said.

"Frisk...I haven't felt like this for a long time."

"Because you were Flowey...right?" Frisk said. Asriel nodded.

"As a flower, I was SOULless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with everyone's SOULs inside me, I not only have my own compassion back, but I can feel every other monsters as well."

 _'And if you lose that...you'll go right back to being Flowey. No...there's gotta be another way.'_

Frisk paused for a moment, deep in thought. After a moment, he had a plan.

"Asriel...you're Toriel's son, aren't you?"

"Huh? Where did...yeah, I am. Toriel is my mother...and Asgore is my father."

"...Can you release...just their SOULs? Oh, and Alphys's as well?" Frisk asked.

"But why? I don't...I don't want my parents to know...what I did. I hurt them Frisk. I hurt everyone. I hurt you! I can't face them like this..."

"I forgive you...as I'm sure they will as well."

"...Why Alphys?" Asriel said, changing the subject slightly.

"...She's...Asriel...she's the one who awoke you as Flowey. I think...she needs to apologize to you...and explain some things to your parents."

"But then, why shouldn't I release everyone at once?"

"...If you did that, you would go right back to being Flowey...right? I have a plan Asriel...so trust me."

"...I do trust you. Ok Frisk...If you think this will help somehow, I'll release them."

A blinding flash of light, and three additional forms appeared. Before he could say anything, Asriel bolted behind Frisk, hiding.

"Huh? What happened. Where are we?" Asgore said.

"I'm not sure." Alphys said. Toriel glanced towards Frisk, and immediately recognized him.

"My child, you are safe! I am glad." Toriel said.

"Yes, I am. I...Alphys, I need you to do me a favor." Frisk said. Alphys turned to him.

"You do? I...erm...ok. What is it?" Alphys said.

"...I need you to tell Asgore and Toriel everything you can about Flowey. The living flower."

"WHAT!? I...erm...I don't know anyth..."

"ALPHYS! I know your feelings on the subject, do you really think I would ask if it wasn't important! Have I EVER acted to hurt anyone?" Frisk shouted.

Alphys seemed to shrink in on herself.

"No, you haven't. Ok then..." She said in a tiny voice. Reluctance clear, she began telling them of her experiments with _DETERMINATION_ , and the resulting creation of Flowey.

"I remember him. He stayed with me shortly after my children..." Asgore trailed off.

"And I as well, though he eventually ran away. I actually saved the young child from him just after he arrived in the underground."

"Yes, and I thank you for that. But...how did it happen? What made that one flower so special? Sure, it grew quickly, but honestly, that was a side effect. What was different about that one flower?" Frisk said.

"That flower came from the human realm. It grew shortly after..." Asgore trailed off, unable to continue speaking.

"...after Asriel died. his body turned to ash...ash which coated the flowers...ash which contained his very essence. That would have been the end of it...had Alphys not injected _DETERMINATION_ into it." Frisk said.

"Frisk?" Alphys said, a slow comprehension dawning on her.

" _DETERMINATION_ has a weird effect on monsters. It literally melts them. But a flower isn't a monster, nor is it a human...instead, the flower became Flowey, a SOULless being unable to love, or have compassion. It became violent,  
until I arrived. My _DETERMINATION_ overrode his, and thus he decided to use me to gather together all the monsters in the underground, a feat I performed through friendship. He absorbed all the SOULs, and regained his true form."

"You cannot mean..." Asgore said, his disbelief and desperate hope clear on his face.

"Yeah. Hi Mom...Hi Dad..." Asriel shyly emerged from behind Frisk.

"...Asriel? ASRIEL!" Asgore and Toriel both ran forward and embraced their child. Asriel squirmed out of their grasp and backed away, not meeting their eyes.

"...how can you look at me like that? I hurt you both. You both saw what I was, what I'd become. How can you both still love me?" Asriel asked, speechless.

"You are our son, no matter what you've done. I'm just glad you're alive." Asgore said.

"Unfortunately, there's a problem." Frisk said. Everyone's attention turned to him.

"As soon as Asriel releases the SOULs he's absorbed, he'll begin to turn back into Flowey. And despite this...I have no doubt he'll return to being a soulless killer. I have no desire to fight him again, and without _DETERMINATION_ , I won't stand a chance against him...as such...it'll mean the end of Monsterkind." Frisk said.

"No! There must be something we can do." Toriel said.

"The human SOULs! Asriel can use them to..." Asgore said.

"No! Doing that would be even worse, without a monster SOUL it would turn me into a horrible abomination!" Asriel shouted.

"How do you know?" Asgore asked.

"Asgore... _DETERMINATION_ gives me a unique power, and before I arrived here it was Asriel's. It's called 'Saving', which lets us make a sort of record called a 'Save File', which we can later go back in time to, or reset back to when I first arrived in the Underground. We know this because I've already faced off against Asriel in that form in a different timeline, and it's not something I'm eager to repeat. No...my idea is something completely different, and it's all thanks to something a guy named Gerson told me."

"What is this plan of yours?" Toriel asked.

"Gerson told me that Boss monsters, like yourselves, only age when they have children, by passing small pieces of their SOUL to their children. Asriel has lost his own SOUL, but still exists because of his _DETERMINATION_ , the same power that makes human SOULs remain after death. Toriel...Asgore...I'm sure you realize what I'm telling you. Asriel can survive if he regains a SOUL, the source for which would be the two of you."

"So if we..." Toriel said.

"NO! Not my mom and dad. Frisk...how could you ask such a thing..." Asriel said, betrayal clear in his voice.

"It's not something I wanted either...but it might be the only way. Asriel...I'm tired of fighting against you, which we will if you go back to being Flowey. Maybe not immediately...but it would happen. I want to get to know the real you...to have fun and play together. I don't want anything bad to happen to Asgore or Toriel...but I know that they love you, and would do anything to help you. It's what Toriel did for me...and she only just met me. It's what parents do. This might be the only way to save you."

Asriel began crying again.

"But I don't want to be alone. It'll be just as bad as when I was a flower. You'll leave me, my parents will be gone...and everyone will hate me because of what I did! I can't live like that!" Asriel cried.

"...I can't talk for any of the others...but I can promise you this. Asriel Dreemurr. I will never leave you. I...I promise I will be a good brother to you. So don't cry. I'm here for you. Even if I have to spend the rest of my life here in the Underground." Frisk promised.

"Frisk!?" Asriel stared at him for a moment, before running from his parents and grabbing him in a hug, while also pulling him towards them. In a moment, Asriel and Frisk were engulfed in a hug by both Toriel and Asgore.

"...My children. I...I love you both." Toriel wrapped her arms around the two of us."

"...I know you don't like me anymore...but for Asriel's sake..." Asgore began.

"Was it ever in question what we would do? My chi...no...Frisk. Please...take good care of my son...your brother...for me." Toriel said. Frisk nodded solemnly.

"Asriel...we don't blame you for what happened. I'm simply glad I got to see you...one last time." Asgore said.

"...Thank you so much...Mom...Dad...I love you." Asriel said, tears in his eyes.

"...you should release the SOULs of the other monsters first, Asriel." Alphys said.

"...ok, but there's something we need to do first. Frisk, I'm not sure I can do this alone, will you help me?" Asriel said, looking towards the barrier. Frisk nodded, understanding his plan instantly.

"7 human souls...did anyone ever say they needed to be killed?" Frisk said.

"I don't think so." Asriel said.

"Ok...together then!" Asriel hugged his new brother tightly, Frisk's SOUL nearly touching the mass of SOUL's he held, before releasing a massive pulse of force into the barrier. With a crash, the barrier fell. Instantly, Asriel released the 6 human SOULs he'd taken, which floated away into the Overworld.

"We won't need them again...the least we can do for those fallen humans is set them free." Asriel said. Asgore nodded in solemn agreement.

"Are you ready son?" Toriel asked. Asriel shook his head.

"Not yet. Mom...Dad...before you...before you help me, I want to let you see the surface...at least once." Asriel said. As one, they all went through the barrier's shattered remnants. A regal sunset greeted them.

"...It's beautiful." Toriel said.

"Indeed." Asgore said. They both simply watched the sun's slow decent for a few minutes, before they turned back to Frisk and Asriel. They walked back into the cave, and reached the room where the Barrier had once stood.

"This is goodbye, my children. But never forget...we're always with you." Toriel said.

"Frisk...Thank you. You went through so much...and yet, throughout it all, you never raised a hand against anyone, not even me when I tried to kill you for your SOUL. Because of you...I got to see my son again. Thank you..." Asgore said.

"Mom...Dad..." Asriel was unable to articulate more.

"And you, Asriel. You've been through so much. Never forget...how much we love you. Goodbye." Toriel and Asgore once again embraced their child. Asriel began to glow, and in a flash of light, was gone. In his place, was a flower, surrounded by the unconscious forms of all the monsters he had absorbed.

"Hurry...while I still remember what it was like...to feel again." Flowey said.

Asgore and Toriel didn't move, continuing to hug the flower. Their bodies began to glow, and in moments, their bodies began aging rapidly. In but a few short moments, nothing of their bodies was left, and two grey SOULs floated into the flower. Another flash of light, and Asriel stood where Flowey once had been.

"...How could they love me so much, even in that form. They gave up everything...all for me. Why?" Asriel asked, mostly to himself.

"That's like asking why fire is hot, they're your parents...loving you is an innate part of who they are." Frisk said. Alphys surprised Frisk as she walked past him and took Asriel's hand. Frisk noticed she was crying.

"Asriel...nothing I can say will ever make what I did to you ok...but I want to say I'm sorry. I didn't know...I didn't..." Alphys trailed off.

"...It's ok. In the end, you saved me. If you hadn't created Flowey...I wouldn't be here now. And Frisk..."

"I would never have left the Ruins. It was only because I was scared of Flowey that I tried so hard to escape them." Frisk said.

"So don't blame yourself. Please don't cry." Asriel finished.

"You two...thank you." Alphys said, sniffling as she wiped away her tears.

"That being said...stop all research into the nature of _DETERMINATION_. We as monsters aren't built for it, it will continue to end badly." Asriel said.

"I understand." Alphys said.

"Is everyone going to be alright?" Asriel asked.

"They should be waking up soon." Alphys said.

"UNGH...WHAT HAPPENED? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO NOT REMEMBER!"

"Keep it down, some of us have headaches. Where...where are we?" Undyne asked.

" **...Looks like the barrier's been laid bare.** " Sans quipped.

"THAT WAS TERRIBLE EVEN FOR YOU SANS." Papyrus said. Sans still laughed at his own joke.

"...where is Asgore?" Undyne asked.

"...Dad is gone. Mom too. They used their SOULs to restore mine." Asriel said sadly. That was the moment everyone seemed to notice him.

"It...can't be. Prince Asriel!? But...you died!"

"Yes, I did. But I was revived due to one of Alphys's experiments. I was the flower that attacked you all...but Frisk...he never gave up on me. He saved your SOULs from me...and then he saved me too."

"YOU SAVED OUR PRINCE HUMAN? WE CAN NEVER REPAY YOUR KINDNESS." Papyrus said.

"Stop that Papyrus, you don't need to repay me for saving my brother, that would be like me thanking you for saving Sans." Frisk said.

"Your...brother?" Undyne said, confused.

"Well...I considered Toriel to be my Mom, since she saved me and protected me as soon as I entered the Underground, and Toriel was Asriel's mom, so that makes us brothers." Frisk said, walking up to Asriel and hugging him from behind.

"Frisk..." Asriel said, training off as he lost the ability to speak as tears filled his eyes.

"I know...he did some bad things as Flowey...but it wasn't his fault. He was literally incapable of feeling love or compassion...so if any of you try to hurt him, you've got to go through me first!" Frisk said, stepping in front of Asriel. Some of the monsters gasped in surprise, as he'd drawn his weapon for emphasis. None of the monsters took it as a threatening gesture, after all, Frisk had literally made his way through the hostile Underground without fighting at all. Sans spoke first.

" **None of us are planning to do anything of the sort, right guys? Besides, it'd be too much work.** " Sans said.

"Besides, it's all good now, right? We have our prince, the barrier is down, we have a bright future ahead of us. I honestly wish Asgore was here...but I'm still glad you're back Asriel." Undyne said.

"...thank you Undyne. Now...let's go...to a new world!" Asriel said. All together, the monsters of the Underground made their way into a new world. As they left the cave, Frisk glanced back for a moment.

"...Chara. Not even Asriel remembers...but I do. I remember your voice, pushing me to kill, and kill, and kill. It was only when Sans fought me with everything he had, something so against his nature, that I realized...what an evil creature I'd become...something so heinous even Sans had to do _something_. And then, after I purged that timeline, that was when I first sensed it...that I first sensed you, your anger at being denied. You pushed me to fight again, but this time...I refused. I shattered that timeline, and reset countless times, until even Asriel couldn't remember. I didn't want him to remember, to judge me. I'm not like you. You had something precious...something I would give anything to have...a loving family...and you threw it away for hatred. I won't make your mistakes. I choose to help people, against all odds. Even if it hurts. Because that's what it means...to have a family I'm not you Chara...I'm the exact opposite. May your memory rot in an abandoned Underground."

Frisk turned to walk away...only for blinding pain to erupt from his back, causing him to lose 6 HP. He turned back...to find a knife embeded in his back. As he watched, the knife floated back towards the cave, into the waiting hands of a girl who looked awfully similer to him, save for the almost psychotic smile she wore.


	2. Saving Chara

**A/N: I'm warning you now...this chapter will cover some DARK topics. Get ready for a feels trip.**

* * *

"It WILL hurt. You think you're able to simply walk away?" Her mocking smile only served to infuriate Frisk.

"Even now, you won't stop, will you. The barrier is gone...if I leave it like this, you'll go after them, won't you? Then I have no choice..." Frisk was cut off as her knife flew through the air, slicing into his body before he could evade. Frisk couldn't help it, he screamed.

 _'It's...been so long. Monsters attack your SOUL, not your body. It's been a long time...since I felt pain like this.'_

 **HP: 8/20**

With little choice, Frisk attacked, but was surprised at not being able to inflict damage.

"I'm incorporeal. You can't touch me Frisk." Chara mocked, as she sliced Frisk yet again.

 **HP: 2/20**

Frisk fell to his knees, unable to move due to pain and blood-loss.

"So pathetic. You rejected real power Frisk, when you **RESET** before we could finish off the last 2 enemies...remember that." Chara raised the knife.

" _Chaos Blade_!" A mystical sword interceded between Chara and Frisk, and actually inflicted a small wound on Chara as she nearly impaled herself on it. With another wave of his hand Frisk and Asriel were encircled with a dome of flames.

"Frisk! Are you ok!?" Asriel knelt at his side.

"Asriel...sorry...looks like...I might not...make it." Frisk said, his wounds dripping blood.

 **HP:1/20**

"No...NO! You can't die on me too! Not again...I don't want to be alone..." Asriel shouted, tears dripping from his eyes.

 _'I promised you...I wouldn't leave you.'_ Ariel swore he heard Frisks voice, though he hadn't moved.

"Frisk?"

From Frisk's body arose a red heart...his SOUL. It trembled and broke into two...before reforming into one.

 _'I refuse...'_

"Frisk!" Asriel shouted, holding the trembling SOUL tightly.

 _'I won't die here...Asriel...I'm with you...I promised...'_

"Frisk. But you're...ok. Together then..."

Asriel accepted Frisks SOUL into himself, before allowing the barrier of flames to fall.

"Hello...brother." Chara said, her smile never wavering.

"You're not my sister...not anymore. Maybe once upon a time...but your hate has transformed you into this... _thing_. I won't let you escape. You die. Here. And. Now." Asriel growled, hatred clear in his voice.

"Little bro's all grown up I see. Then lets see what you've got!"

"It ends here!" Asriel shouted, transforming into his 'adult' form with Frisk's help.

* * *

 **Chara blocks the way!**

 **Asriel LV 1 HP: 40/40**

 **Fight *Magic Item Mercy**

* * *

Asriel readied _Chaos Buster_ , and began blasting Chara to the best of his ability, unfortunately, like Frisk, she's very adept at dodging, and takes little damage.

"Not bad bro! Try this on for size!" Chara shouted. Her knife transformed into several, made of pure red energy. She began firing them rapid fire towards Asriel's grey SOUL.

 _'Switch!'_ Frisk's voice called in his mind.

"Huh, wha...-Hmph!" Asriel's grey SOUL flipped over, now a vibrant red, and Frisk dodged the knives, taking but a single hit.

 _'Asriel...you can't be in control when she attacks. Monsters are vulnerable to hatred, and that's pretty much all she is. At least I can take it.'_

 _'You shouldn't have to and I don't like it...but I understand.'_

* * *

 **Chara is grinning.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:36/40**

 **Fight *Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check *Study**

 **Talk Call for Help**

* * *

Frisk studied Chara closely, trying to figure out how she was manifesting.

"Curious Frisk? You shouldn't leave ghosts undefended when there's a demon on the loose." Chara said.

 _'...Napstablook. I...I'm sorry.'_

"A demon?"

"You came so close. All you had to do was go in to the throne room and kill Asgore. Then I would have had all the power we needed, and could have easily killed flower boy. We could have ended this worthless world together."

"He was your brother for gods sake, do you feel nothing!?" Frisk shouted.

"Of course I feel things. Anger...Hatred...Loathing...All the important emotions I still have." Chara said, while throwing her knife at Frisk, which just barely nicked him.

"You're...you're an abomination. Asriel...your turn." Frisk's SOUL flipped over, and Asriel took charge once again.

* * *

 **Chara is licking her lips.**

 **Asriel LV 1 HP: 35/40**

 **Fight *Magic Item Mercy**

* * *

Asriel readied _Galacta Blazing_ , firing untold numbers of magical stars at Chara. She seemed unfamiliar with this kind of attack, and took several hits.

"Ungh...you...you're not supposed to be this strong. You're only LV 1, how can you..."

"You're right. Both Frisk and I are only LV 1, we haven't gained any **LOVE** at all...but we do have love. And since you're made up of nothing but hate..."

"ARRRGGGGHHH"

 _'Switch!'_ They both thought as one, and Asriel's SOUL yielded to Frisk's.

Knives.

Hundreds of them, filling Frisks field of view. He did his best to dodge them, but there were far too many. However, the barrage stopped before they perished.

* * *

 **Chara is laughing**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:1/40**

 ***** **Fight Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 _'Help me out Asriel...I can't use magic at all, and physical attacks don't work.'_

 _'I'll coat your weapon in magic, go!'_

"HYAA!" Frisk shouted, as he brought his weapon down on Chara. She didn't even try and dodge, assuming that Frisk couldn't harm her. A costly blunder.

 ***16,392*** A large chunk of Chara's HP gauge disappeared.

"GAHK...how...how did you..."

"Again...it's love, not **LOVE**. Your hate makes you strong against monsters...but weak to someone like us. We work together." Frisk said.

"...This is stupid. I'm ending this." Chara said, before raising her knife.

"This is the end!" She swung her knife at nothing...and hit.

 _ ***999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999***_

A hole in reality opened right where she'd struck. Cackling, Chara vanished, as everything began to be sucked in.

"Uh oh Asriel...this is bad!"

 _'Let me try!'_ Asriel said, flipping Frisk's SOUL.

* * *

 **A hole in the world is swallowing up everything**

 **Asriel LV 1 HP:1/40**

 **Fight** ***** **Magic Item Mercy**

* * *

Asriel readied _Hyper Goner_ , and unleashed it into the void. The bits and pieces of reality flew into the hole, and eventually clogged it, putting a stop to the incredible suction.

As soon as he'd finished casting, Chara reappeared behind him. She stabbed...only to be blocked by a spear made of ice.

"You!" She snarled, wheeling on Undyne, who'd arrived to find a battle already in progress. Chara's eyes were now at least twice as big as they had been before, and seemed to be filled with blood. She looked more like the demon she claimed she was.

"Asriel!? What's going on? Who is she, and where...oh no! Frisk!" Undyne shouted in concern, finally catching sight of Frisks fallen form.

"Frisk is with me. I don't know if his body is alive or not...but his SOUL is with me! We have to stop her from escaping the Underground..."

"Who is she!?"

"...Chara...or at least she used to be. My older sister...and the first human to ever come to the Underground. This demon was born of her hatred, and is now the biggest threat to both humanity and monsterkind."

"You forgot the worlds most powerful denizen. Time to die!" Chara screamed.

 _'Switch!'_ Frisk called out. Asriel shook his head.

 _'We're at 1HP, it doesn't matter at this point.'_

Asriel dodged the attacks as much as he could, but the attack was relentless. The tip of a knife embedded itself into his chest.

"Sorry...Frisk..." Their combined SOUL shook and broke into two..."

 _'...No. Not now...'_ Frisk's SOUL began glowing with _DETERMINATION._

 _'...Yeah...we can...still do this.'_ Asriel's began to do the same. Together, they refused death, their SOULs reforming and fusing together, before splitting again into two complete SOULs...both a vibrant red.

 _ **"It's not going to be that easy Chara!"**_ Asriel and Frisk shouted, their voice a fusion of their original voices.

* * *

 **Chara is scowling**

 **Asriel/Frisk LV 1 HP:99/99**

 **Fight** ***** **Magic** ***** **Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check** ***** **Focus**

 **Talk Call for Help**

* * *

Frisk focused on providing power.  
Asriel readied _Chaos Slasher_ and _Galacta Blazing._

Undyne unleashed a barrage of spears.

"Two spells at once!?" Chara said, surprised. She did her best, but it was too much, and she took heavy damage from the combined spells and spears. Once the final wave of projectiles swept past her, she fell to a knee.

"You can't beat us. We won't let you pass." Asriel said.

"Heh...hehehe...HAHAHA...to think, I'd be pushed this far by..." Chara pointed her knife at Asriel, which unleashed a cold black bolt of hatred, which sapped away their strength.

 **HP:84/99**

"Poor"

 ***bolt***

 **HP:69/99**

"Weak"

 ***bolt***

 **HP:54/99**

"Crybaby"

 ***bolt***

 **HP:39/99**

"ASRIEL!"

 ***BOLT***

 **HP:9/99**

Asriel collapsed in shock, but clung to consciousness.

"Asriel! Frisk!" Undyne called out. With major effort, they reclaimed their footing.

"We're...ok. For now..."

 _'I think...we can't do this alone.'_

 _'I think you're right Frisk'_

* * *

 **Chara is furious**

 **Asriel/Frisk LV 1 HP:9/99**

 **Fight Magic** ***** ***** **Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check Focus**

 **Talk** ****** **Call for Help**

* * *

 _ **"Sans! Papyrus! Alphys! Please, help us!"**_ both Asriel and Frisk shouted. It took a moment, but they soon heard fast approaching footsteps. In moments, Sans, Papyrus, and Alphys were there. As Chara attempted to attack, Undyne intervened, holding her off with countless spears.

"WHAT IS GOING ON? WHO IS THAT? IS IT...ANOTHER HUMAN? IS SHE YOUR FRIEND?" Papyrus asked.

"No! She's...she's evil. She might have killed Frisk. I need help...to destroy her!" Asriel said.

"Frisk...how could this happen." Alphys said, kneeling next to his fallen form.

"...! He's still alive! But...his SOUL is missing." Alphys said.

"His SOUL is with me. If he's alive..." Asriel said.

"...take my body to a hospital and get the people there to help me. Papyrus, go with her, don't let them hurt her because they thought she hurt me, since I know that's how Asriel died the first time. Look for a building with a big red cross on it. We'll catch up." Frisk finished. The group of monsters seemed surprised to hear Frisk's voice come from Asriel, but to their credit they didn't waste time, simply doing as he asked.

"What about me?" Sans asked.

"...Well Sans...Chara here is trying to hurt our friends, and talking doesn't seem like it will work. Let's show her a **BAD TIME** , shall we." Frisk said, smiling through Asriel's body. Sans raised an eye socket at that, but turned to face Chara.

 **"Hehe...sounds good."** Sans said.

"Undyne...you should probably go with Papyrus as well...just in case...but if at all possible, don't hurt anyone." Frisk said.

"I understand. Prince...Frisk...Sans...good luck." Undyne said, all business, her usual exuberant self completely subdued by the seriousness of the situation. She stood and saluted Asriel, before taking off towards the city.

"So now we can finally get back to our battle. What do you think you're going to accomplish, sending them away? I'm going to destroy this world...but I think I'll hunt them down in your body first. It'll be just like old times." Chara said. Asriel narrowed his eyes.

"I won't allow it!" Asriel said. Deep in his chest, he felt a familiar feeling. _DETERMINATION._

 _'Let's give Sans a warning. Just in case we...'_

 _'Agreed.'_

"I wonder how many times we'll have to fight this battle. Even if we fall...our _DETERMINATION_ will never let us truly die. Any mistake...a poorly chosen path, all can be undone and erased. We can leave our sins in the past. Sans...I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable." Frisk said.

 **"So you were the source of the anomalies. You..."** Sans said, trailing off.

"Yeah, we were. But hopefully we never need the power again. And Sans...thanks for being there. Thanks for stopping me...when I was just like her." Frisk said.

 ** _*SAVE*_**

* * *

 **Chara is grinning**

 **Asriel/Frisk LV 1 HP:9/99**

 **Sans LV 1 HP:1/1**

 **Fight Magic Act** ***** **Item Mercy**

* * *

Asreil ate the Pie. The taste reminded him of his Mom. HP was maxed out. Defense Increased.  
Sans eye flashed.

Caught in San's attack, Chara was thrown about and disoriented, but without physical form, she couldn't be harmed as such.

 _'Hmm...maybe if we act separately, we'll catch her off guard. I'll cast, and you **Fight** , ok Frisk?'_

 _'Sounds like a plan Asriel.'_

* * *

 **Chara is disoriented**

 **Asriel/Frisk LV 1 HP:99/99**

 **Sans LV 1 HP:1/1**

 ***** **Fight** ***** **Magic Act Item Mercy**

* * *

Asriel readied _Shocker Breaker II_ , while Frisk lashed out with the dagger, which he coated in Asriel's magic. Again, Chara wasn't able to cope with both attacks, and suffered more damage, though she dodged Frisks attacks at all costs. Her HP gauge was now down to a sliver. Sans had held back, ready to defend his friends if needed.

"...I suppose you think you've won, don't you. But even this can play into my hands." Chara said. She stood up, and simply stood there, not making any hostile action.

"I am the single largest repository of **LV** , of **EXP** , in the entire underground...no, the entire world. What will happen if you kill me?" Chara said. It took a moment, before Frisk and Asriel realized.

"That's right. Kill me...and become me. Become the instrument of my vengeance. Even after you fought so hard...there's nothing you can do. Either I'll kill them all...or you will."

 _'Asriel...what do we do? She...she's right.'_

 _'We...'_

 _'Leave this to us. Spread among the two of you, her hatred would still be enough to end this world. But not among six. We will drag her hatred into the next world.'_ A strange voice interrupted Asriel's and Frisks inner conversation. Opening their eyes, they immediately saw the source. Surrounded them were the 6 human SOULs Asgore had collected. Before their eyes, the ghostly forms of 6 children became superimposed upon the SOULs...clearly their human forms.

"What are...they doing back here? STAY BACK!" Chara shouted.

"It's as good a plan as any. The six of you...I don't even know your names...but you helped me so much. Thank you." Frisk said. The SOULs spun around him more quickly, almost as an answer.

* * *

 **Chara is afraid**

 **Asriel/Frisk LV 1 HP:99/99**

 **Sans LV 1 HP:1/1**

 **Fight Magic** ***** ***** **SOUL Item Mercy**

* * *

 ***** **Blue** ***** **Yellow**

 **Green Orange**

 **Purple Cyan**

* * *

Asriel guided the Blue SOUL to Chara, and Frisk the Yellow SOUL. She wasn't able to react in time, and the Blue SOUL slammed into her before she could mount a defense. A dark mist seemed to erupt from her, which was absorbed by the SOUL.

 **Chara lost EXP.**  
 **Chara lost 3 LV.**

 **Chara LV 17 HP:?/?**

Before Frisk could reach her, she attacked, but Frisk dodged her knives, sweeping behind her before throwing the Yellow SOUL, which slammed into her from behind.

 **Chara lost EXP.**  
 **Chara lost 3 LV.**

 **Chara LV 14 HP:?/?**

Sans seemed to have fallen asleep, though he dodged as soon as Chara attempted to attack him.

"STOP IT! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Chara threw her knife at them once again, but not the energy versions. Frisk dodged the attack easily, and continued to watch it, as it circled back, to ensure he wasn't hit in the back.

* * *

 **Chara is scared**

 **Asriel/Frisk LV 1 HP:99/99**

 **Sans LV 1 HP:1/1**

 **Fight Magic** ***** ***** **SOUL Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Blue Yellow**

 ***** **Green** ***** **Orange**

 **Purple Cyan**

* * *

Asriel guided the Green SOUL to Chara. Her knives seemed to grow ever more numerous in number, and Asriel was forced to take a hit in Green's place, shielding it, before being able to land a hit of their own. Luckily, it seemed his unison with Frisk was protecting him even as they acted separately.

 **Chara lost EXP.**  
 **Chara lost 3 LV.**

 **Chara LV 11 HP:?/?**

Frisk took advantage of Asriel's attacks in order to get into Chara's blind spot, from which he launched his own attack alongside the Orange SOUL.

 **Chara lost EXP.**  
 **Chara lost 3 LV.**

 **Chara LV 8 HP:?/?**

"...ENOUGH! This has gone too far!" Chara said, her face no longer even looking human. Clearly enraged, she created hundreds, thousands of knives...maybe more.

Sans woke up.

 **"...That looks like trouble. I'd better get ready."** He said, mostly to himself.

* * *

 **Chara is readying a massive attack.**

 **Asriel/Frisk LV 1 HP:83/99**

 **Sans LV 1 HP:1/1**

 **Fight Magic** ***** ***** **SOUL Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Blue Yellow**

 **Green Orange**

 ***** **Purple** ***** **Cyan**

* * *

"DIE!" Chara shouted, sweeping her arms in a grand gesture. the knives flew towards Asriel/Frisk, Sans, and the 6 SOULs.

 **"Not going to happen."** Sans said. Everything went dark for a moment, and when they could see again, everyone was on the other side of the wall of knives.

"What...how did you...!?" Chara was speechless.

 **"Go now! Asriel, Frisk...end it!"** Sans shouted, for the first time seeming to have a emotional investment in anything.

 **"Leave it to us!"** They answered.

Asriel charged forwards with the Purple SOUL, which Chara attempted to attack directly. Asriel dodged quickly, but was unable to close in. Without any guidance, the Purple SOUL darted forwards, and skirted the edge of Chara's blade, slamming into her arm.

 **Chara lost EXP.**  
 **Chara lost 3 LV.**

 **Chara LV 5 HP:?/?**

Frisk was flying through the air with the Cyan SOUL, trying to decide on the best moment to strike. Chara had taken up a defensive position, surrounding herself with a rapidly spinning dome of energy knives, only firing a few at a time at Asriel, not leaving herself open.

 _'Dammit, what do we do?'_

 _'Not sure Frisk. We could try to...'_

 _'Her attacks are weak, much of her hatred has been leeched away. It will not be pleasant, but we have no choice. Dive through the attacks.'_ The Cyan SOUL spoke to them.

 _'...Ok then.'_

Frisk suddenly dived from the sky towards Chara, who immediately changed focus and began to try and shoot Frisk down. Dodging, Frisk reached Chara's dome in seconds, and with no hesitation dove through it, shielding the Cyan SOUL with his own.

'AHHH!' Frisk mentally screamed, as the Cyan SOUL charged Chara and impacted in her stomach. As it retreated, Chara's form seemed to waver, and inside her chest, where her heart could be...both Asriel and Frisk were able to make out the transparent outline of a heart...an empty SOUL.

 **Chara lost EXP.**  
 **Chara lost 4 LV.**

 **Chara LV 1 HP:1/20**

Both Asriel and Frisk retreated from Chara, readying themselves for Chara's counter attack, not believing that she would stop even drained of her **LV**. They didn't expect to hear crying.

 _'Huh? I've...I've NEVER heard Chara cry. **Ever**.'_ Asriel said.

 _'...Asriel...I'm going to try something.'_

* * *

 **Chara is crying.**

 **Asriel/Frisk LV 1 HP:71/99**

 **Sans LV 1 HP:1/1**

 **Fight Magic** ***** **Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check Focus**

 ***** **Talk Ask Sans for Help**

* * *

"Chara? Why...why are you crying?" Frisk's SOUL exited Asriel's body and manifested a ghostly image of himself, who stood a few feet from Chara.

"Why would YOU care! You took everything from me...all my strength...all my defenses...everything." Chara said, a strange tone of bitterness in her voice.

 _'Frisk...now's not the time for...'_

 _'Asriel...You should realize better than anyone...I'll always try and find a non-violent way to solve problems.'_

* * *

 **Chara is crying.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight** ***** **Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check Focus**

 ***** **Talk Ask Sans for Help**

* * *

"Believe it or not, I DO care. Why...why are you so violent? Why do you want to kill everyone...and destroy this world?" Frisk asked.

"...You really want to know!?" Chara shouted, looking up at him. Frisk was surprised to see that her face had returned to normal, but the ever present smile he associated with her had also vanished, leaving a bitter scowl in it's place.

"You couldn't imagine what it was like! Life for you must have been just peachy, a loving family, people who would look out for and care for you, nothing needed in return! Acceptance, friendship, LOVE! It all comes easily to you, doesn't it...makes it easy to just talk, and do the stupidest things in order to avoid fighting! But not everyone is like that! Not everyone had a happy life before coming to the underground. Not everyone..." Chara trailed off.

* * *

 **Chara is crying.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight** ***** **Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check Focus**

 ***** **Talk Ask Sans for Help**

* * *

"What...what happened..." Frisk said, almost afraid of the answer.

"What didn't. My real family got themselves killed in a stupid war. I grew up in an orphanage, and I was the smallest child there. No one befriended me, they all attacked me, stole anything of value I managed to find or was given, and when some of the older kids found me broken and bleeding after a fight...they..."

"Chara..."

"Do you even know what rape is Frisk? You hopelessly innocent kid. Probably not...but it's one of the most horrible things someone can do to another person. They hid me in an abandoned room and had their way with me whenever they pleased. It took me 2 weeks to escape, and in that time..."

* * *

 **Chara is crying.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight** ***** **Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check Disagree**

 **Talk** ***** **Comfort**

* * *

"...I'm sorry Chara. They had no right." Frisk said.

"Of course they did! I was weak and they were strong, it's was obviously their right to exploit me however they wanted. That's the real way this world works. The orphanage kicked me out the second they found out I was pregnant. That's why I ended up on Mt. Ebbot. The fall didn't kill me like it was supposed to...but it sure took care of my other problem. Even when they adopted me...I never forgot that lesson. The strong take from the weak...it's kill or be killed! That's why I always tried to become stronger...so I could get my revenge on the bastards who took everything from me. I took advantage of the shelter I was given after falling into the Underground, biding my time while I recovered my strength. I tried to assassinate the monster who adopted me by poisoning him with buttercups so I could take his SOUL and gain the power I needed..." Chara glanced back at Asriel, who looked slightly surprised.

"...but my _'brother'_ managed to warn him of what had happened...even if he told him it was an accident. I realized that as I was, I was never going to be able to do anything. Asriel followed me too closely, and I knew he'd tell Asgore in an instant should I ever step too far out of line. So I had a plan, where Asriel would take my SOUL instead, and together I'd get my revenge on all those who had wronged me... _ **HUMANITY.**_ Unfortunately, he had to go and screw that up too...and it sure cost him."

* * *

 **Chara is wiping away her tears.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight** ***** **Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check** ***** **Disagree**

 **Talk Comfort**

* * *

"But not all humans are like that Chara." Frisk said. Chara laughed...an awful, empty, haunted laugh.

"Do you think I told you my whole life story Frisk? Told you about all the horrors that make up the joke called my life? No, I only scratched the surface. Everyone...no matter how they might portray themselves...everyone has some hint of darkness inside them. Given the right trigger, it'll come out."

Asriel stepped forward, angry tears in his eyes.

* * *

 **Chara is crying.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Asriel LV 1 HP:4/20**

 **Fight Magic** ***** ***** **Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check** ***** **Disagree**

 ***** **Talk Comfort**

* * *

"That's not true Chara! If you want proof...just look at Frisk. He hasn't hurt anyone..." Asriel said.

"Not in this timeline...but in timelines past he has. Do you even remember? He was even going to kill you. Granted...I gave him a little push, but I only built on the darkness already there. Even now, that darkness is bubbling up in him." Chara said.

"No Chara. I've heard enough of this..." Frisk said.

"Exactly. Go ahead...everything I worked towards is gone anyways. Oblivion would be better than this half existence. Go ahead and unleash the darkness in your SOUL. I've lost the will to fight...or rather, you've stolen it from me. End it now."

* * *

 **Chara's given up.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight Act Item** ***** **Mercy**

* * *

"...Let's go Asriel." Frisk said, returning to Asriel's body.

"What? What are you doing."

"You aren't a real threat anymore. I won't fight you anymore. I thought you were evil incarnate...but I realize now...it's this world that is evil. It's what drove you to that point. But even so...occasionally there are good people in this evil world." Frisk said.

"WHAT WOULD YOU EVEN KNOW!" Chara screamed at him.

"...Why do people climb Mt. Ebbot, Chara? Everyone knows the legend...that those who climb the mountain disappear and are never seen again. Happy people don't go there." Frisk said.

"You...I..."

"People go to Mt. Ebbot to die, Chara. You did it...the 6 other kids did it..." Frisk paused.

"Frisk? What did you...?" Asriel started to ask, but stopped as Frisk held up a hand, asking him to be silent.

"...I'm no different Chara. I went to that mountain with no intention of ever going back down."

"Frisk?" Chara said, her voice questioning.

"My house was no happier than your orphanage, though I will admit it was less horrific. But having beer bottles thrown at you by your ever drunken mother for the slightest disturbance...doesn't make a happy childhood. When she finally managed to hit me, I bandaged myself up...and left for the mountain. I deluded myself into thinking I was just escaping her...but I know the truth...that I didn't want to deal with life anymore."

"Then why aren't you...why did you reset when I..."

"Because they're not all like that. People like Papyrus...who's completely incapable of any kind of malice. People like Toriel...who just...care. People like Alphys, who might mess up, but always with the best intentions. The friends I made...the friends I killed...I couldn't let it end like that."

* * *

 **Chara is thinking.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight Act Item** ***** **Mercy**

* * *

"...Why did you let me guide you into killing them in the first pace then? Why didn't you just stay with Toriel?"

"Honestly? Because...I couldn't believe there was no catch. I kept waiting for the other shoe to fall...only it never did. Toriel was so kind...yet when I called her 'Mom', I couldn't help but think of my human mother...and I found myself expecting the same thing. But I was dead wrong. The only time people actually tried to hurt me was when I became a complete monster...erm, no offence guys. When Sans of all people showed up and started fighting me...that's when I realized it. They weren't trying to hurt me because of anything I said or what I was, they were fighting me because I was a genocidal maniac. I stopped fighting and let Sans kill me, then reset. Did everything properly, made a bunch of friends...and discovered what it meant...to have a family. To not have to worry about saying or doing the wrong thing...to laugh without faking it. To _smile_...for the first time..." Frisk said. He shook his head.

"I wish you could experience this too." Frisk said quietly. The silent pause went on for entirely too long, before a small voice broke the silence.

"But it's too late. I'm...I'm too far gone...I've done too much...Frisk...just kill me."

* * *

 **Chara's given up.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight Act Item** ***** **Mercy**

* * *

"No. Chara...it's never too late. Join us."

"...why?"

* * *

 **Chara is questioning your choices.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight Act Item** ***** **Mercy**

* * *

"Why would you spare me?"

* * *

 **Chara is confused.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight Act Item** ***** **Mercy**

* * *

"After everything I've done."

"...Because I could have easily been you." Frisk answered.

* * *

 **Chara is stunned into silence.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight Act Item** ***** **Mercy**

* * *

"...I could easily have let my hatred overwhelm me. If I'd waited even a little longer before leaving my so called 'home', I would probably have become just like you. But I still had just enough innocence...just enough love left...to open up...to let people in. Chara...I know you don't have a physical body anymore. But this...this is an empty existence, even worse than Asriel being stuck as Flowey. Come with me...experience life through me. Not violence...not killing...just...living."

"...Frisk. How can you...offer something like that? I could easily hurt you if you open up like that. How can you trust me...after everything!"

"Because you aren't a demon, despite what you may think. You're broken and bleeding...you've lost the ability to believe in people...but you're still human. I can see that. Everyone deserves a chance. And...on a more pragmatic note...I did _**SAVE**_ just before our battle. If I die because of you...I'll come back and end it here." Frisk said.

"...he...hahaha. I knew it couldn't be complete trust. I almost thought you were a complete idiot. But...even so...you're giving me a chance...to be happy. I don't know if I can _ever_ be happy, not after everything. But...I can at least give it a shot." Chara said. Her knife dropped from her hand.

* * *

 **Chara is sparing you.**

 **Frisk LV 1 HP:8/20**

 **Fight Act Item** ***** **Mercy**

* * *

Chara's form became ever more indistinct, and in seconds, she disappeared, leaving a ghost and an outline of a SOUL behind. Frisk's SOUL darted out and hit the outline, which gave almost immediately, and combined with the vibrant red SOUL that was Frisk.

"...Only you Frisk. Only you could ever manage to somehow manage to fight an homicidal shade of my sis...and end up _sparing_ them.." Asriel said as Frisk slowly made his way back to him. Frisk grinned and shot Asriel a thumbs up.

"It's what I do best, isn't it?" Frisk said, sounding completely pleased with himself.

 _'Alright already. Shouldn't we get to the hospital? Human bodies don't survive long without SOULS, and yours was already pretty beat up.'_ Chara said.

 _'No thanks to you.'_ Frisk thought, though there was no bite to his words. He go the distinct impression of Chara sticking her tongue out at him. Laughing, he returned to Asriel's body. Together, the three of them started to head to the city, but they stopped a couple of steps away, almost like they'd forgotten something.

"Wake up Sans! We're leaving!" Asriel suddenly shouted. The sleeping skeleton woke with a start.

 **"No need to shout."** The skeleton grumbled. The four made haste towards the city, and for the first time, Chara felt...that the world wasn't _completely_ hopeless.

 _'After all...it made someone like Frisk.'_


	3. Saving Frisk

**A/N: Good news everyone. After last chapters dark themes, I felt we needed a little more light hearted bits. But you still might be going on a feels trip. Let me know what you think and enjoy.**

* * *

They had reached the outskirts of the city before Asriel suddenly fell to a knee, clutching his stomach.

" **You ok?"** Sans asked, concerned.

"Yeah...that wasn't my pain. It was Frisks. It felt...like something was cutting into me." Asriel said.

' _It could be surgery of some kind. If Chara hit something important...'_ Frisk added.

' _I think I might have hit your stomach or intestines when I...I...'_ Chara trailed off.

" _I forgive you Chara. Don't worry about it."_ Frisk said. Chara didn't respond.

' _It's not important now. The important thing is to get back as soon as we can. I learned a little healing magic when I was younger, I might be able to help you.'_ Asriel thought. He felt agreement from the two SOULs within him.

" **You done having your inner conversation?"** Sans asked.

"Oops, sorry Sans. We're thinking it might be some medical procedure they're doing on Frisk. Since his SOUL is here and connected to me..."

" **I see."**

' _The hospital where they took my body isn't too much farther. Hurry.'_

* * *

"We made it." Asriel said, pushing open the door to the ER.

"What's the...wait, you're..." The nurse attending the triage station lost her voice in shock as she pointed as Asriel and Sans.

"Monsters, yes. I know it must be a shock and all...but an injured boy should have been brought here by some of my friends, where is he?" Asriel said, adopting a slightly loftier air than was normal.

"Erm...right. He's in surgery right now, you'll have to wait..." The nurse said, recovering quickly and adopting her professional persona.

"If I don't get to him right away, he'll die, regardless of his injuries or lack thereof."

"What? What do you mean by that?" Asriel closed his eyes, and both his and Frisk's soul began to glow from within him. Chara's remained hidden.

"I hold his SOUL right now...it needs to go back to him as soon as possible. I also know a little healing magic that might help. Where is he?"

"..." The nurse looked indecisive, and kept glancing towards her coworkers, who were not adding anything to the discussion.

"We don't have time for this. Frisk...lead the way." Asriel said.

' _Up two stories, and almost directly above us.'_

"Two stories up, almost right above us...right?" Asriel said.

"How..."

"Frisk's SOUL can sense where his body is, they're still connected, at least a little bit." Asriel answered.

"...I'll take you, it will at least keep you from going the wrong way and startling the other patients." The nurse said. She called over one of her coworkers before leading Asriel upstairs. She stopped as Sans began to follow them.

"Umm...Mr. Skeleton? Your friends are waiting in a diner not far from here. It would be best to avoid calling attention to yourself. The goat man will cause enough problems as it is." The nurse said. Asriel bristled, but for Frisks sake, he let it slide.

" **I understand. I'd rather just sit back and enjoy a nice meal anyways. Let me know how Frisk is doing later Asriel."** Sans said. Asriel nodded. Asriel followed the nurse in silence as she led him to where Frisk was.

' _I hope we're not too late.' Frisk thought._

' _I'm sorry.' Chara responded, her voice quiet._

' _It's ok.'_

' _No it's not. You could die!'_

' _...then I'll LOAD, re-befriend you, and make sure we get here faster.' Frisk said._

' _You...argh!' Chara pouted._

' _Hehehe...' Asriel laughed at their byplay._

' _...You wouldn't need to re-befriend me though, just drain the LOVE from me. I remember the resets, since I have just as much 'determination' as you two do.'_

The inner conversation was dropped as they stopped at a door. Frisk could sense his body close by.

"Inside here is where they're operating on him. I'll need to ask you to put this mask, this gown, these gloves, and this cap on, if you're going to go in there." The nurse said. Asriel nodded.

' _I'm not sure what the point of all this is...'_

' _Human's are vulnerable to all kinds of microscopic germs that can make us sick, and are even more vulnerable when wounded, since the wounds can get infected easily._ _A physical body might be able to resist damage more easily than the magic-based bodies of monsters...but when we do get hurt or sick it tends to be a bigger deal_.' Chara explained.

' _I see...then I'll be extra careful.'_

Asriel quickly donned the offered clothing, and it had the additional benefit of hiding his true appearance, at least at first glance. Asriel quickly entered the operation room. Several doctors stood around Frisk, working frantically on him. Around him were several machines beeping, none of which Asriel understood.

"Who are you?" One of the docters demanded as he noticed Asriel. Asriel ignored him.

' _Time to go back Frisk. You too Chara.' Asriel thought to them._

' _...you'll take care of us...right?' Chara thought. She had attached herself to Frisk, so if he died...so did she. Despite Frisk's ability to 'LOAD', she had no desire to die._

' _Of course he will. I don't even need to ask. Trust our brother...' Frisk comforted Chara._

"Back to where you belong." Asriel said, as Frisk's SOUL left his body.

"What is that!?" One of the doctors shouted in surprise, as the glowing red SOUL entered Frisk's body. Almost instantly, his body seemed revitalized. It seemed like the doctors had been in the process of stitching up Frisk's wounds when Asriel had arrived.

"Patients vitals are stabilizing doctor, whatever that was, it helped." One of the attending nurses said.

"Who are you? Answer me!" The same doctor who shouted at first demanded once again.

"Someone who owes him their life. I won't let him die. **_~Heal!~_** " Asriel said, pouring his magic into Frisk, refusing to allow them to die, and struggling to hold on to his adult form without Frisk's SOUL providing the needed power. As they watched, a green glow surrounded Frisk, and the wounds they had been working on closed and sealed, the threads dissolving. With a small cry of exhaustion, he ended the spell.

"What are you?" The doctor said, pointing at him. Without Frisk's and Chara's SOULs lending him power, he'd reverted to his true form...that of a child.

"My brother..." Frisk said from the table. The doctors almost jumped, surprised at his sudden input into the conversation.

"How are you awake? The anesthesia should have lasted a few hours more at the least."

"Asriel's magic likely treated it as a poison, and 'healed' me." Frisk said.

"I'm...I'm glad you're ok." Asriel said.

"Me too. It would have been really terrible and a little pointless if I'd managed to free the monsters only to die immediately afterwards." Frisk said.

"...wait, are you saying...you came from Mt. Ebbot?" The nurse said. Asriel nodded.

"I know you're curious about me...about us...but Frisk has some friends who are going to want to know he's ok. We need to get going. You'll probably hear about us soon anyways. Thank you for helping him." Asriel said. The doctor who was acting as the leader shook his head.

"I don't know what you did, but...'Frisk' just came out of surgery, he's in no shape to walk around..." He trailed off as Frisk jumped off the bed and took Asriel's hand. He closed his eyes for a moment before speaking.

"20/20 HP Asriel...you must have spent a lot of time learning healing magic."

"It was just a few things Mom taught me when I came home with scrapes after playing with Chara. Your SOUL must have left me with just that little bit of extra power that ended up healing you far better than I ever could without help." Asriel said.

"Whatever you say. Let's go find the others." Frisk said. Together, the two of them left the operating room, leaving the doctors dumbstruck. As they left, Asriel grinned at Frisk.

"Brother, huh?" Asriel said.

"Well...if you want me as a brother. I'd understand if you don't..." Frisk was cut off by Asriel lightly punching him in the shoulder.

"Of course I do you big dummy. I'm just happy you consider me close enough to want that."

"Asriel...we literally combined our SOULs, I don't think we can get much closer than that. Plus I'm fused with your sister's SOUL."

"I guess...man, our family is kinda weird."

"But it's a good weird. Oh! If we don't hurry, they might think we're leaving without them, we should probably go catch up." Frisk said, before jogging to reach the diner more quickly.

"R-right!" Asriel said, running after him.

" _A family...I'm happy that I found one that wants me...even if it's a little unusual."_ Frisk thought to himself.

* * *

"HUMAN! YOU'VE RECOVERED! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NEVER DOUBTED YOU FOR AN INSTANT!" Papyrus shouted as Frisk and Asriel entered the diner. Frisk was forced to brace himself as the skeleton grabbed him in a nearly bone-breaking hug.

"Liar, you were the most worried out of all of us." Undyne said.

"I...DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT." Papyrus said, while waving his arms in a 'don't say that' kind of manner, accidentally dropping Frisk, who managed to stick the landing with a little help from Asriel.

"In any case, I think we're all glad Frisk is ok."

"Yeah, I'm pretty glad about that too. By the way...you haven't had any trouble staying here at the diner?" Frisk asked.

"No. I gave the owner 10G, and he seemed overjoyed to let us stay. He fiddled with the coins a little before accepting them though." Alphys said. Something clicked in Frisk's mind.

"Umm...Alphys? The coins monsters use...are they...real gold?" Frisk asked.

"Of course they are, what else would we use?"

"Human's haven't used gold coins in centuries. Nowadays...a gold coin would be worth hundreds of dollars."

"DOLLARS? WHAT KIND OF MONEY IS THAT?"

"Umm...well...the burgers that they sell here cost about $9...and 1G at todays gold prices is..." Frisk trailed off, as he used his phone to check the Internet. He was honestly surprised that the monster-made phone could even connect, but he wasn't questioning it.

"How heavy is 1G?" He asked.

"About 20 grams." Alphys answered.

"1G...is worth about $750." Frisk said.

"So I gave him...$7500!?" Alphys shouted in surprise at the value. Frisk nodded.

"It seems like we're are all going to be extremely rich. My old piggy bank by itself would be worth a ton." Asriel said.

"DOES THAT REALLY MATTER? WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT FRISK IS BETTER NOW, THAT'S FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN MERE MONEY!" Papyrus said. Asriel nodded.

"Of course." Asriel agreed.

"So...what do we do now? News of the barrier breaking will quickly spread throughout the human world. We don't want another war, and I'm certain that at least some people will not be very welcoming, so what do we do to prevent it?" Undyne said.

"We set up diplomatic relations...though we'll need an ambassador. But who can we ask? Alphys said.

"...I'll do it."

"Frisk?"

"I'll be your ambassador. I may be a little young, but honestly, I'm probably the only person who knows anything at all about you guys. It'll be tough...but I think I can handle it." He said.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Asriel said.

"And if all else fails...well, money will open all kinds of doors." Frisk said. Asriel laughed.

"That's one thing that will never change, monster or human...money talks." Alphys said.

"So, we should go back to Mt. Ebbot and let the rest of the Underground know the barrier is broken...and we should also wait for the human diplomatic party to arrive. Since we've been seen in the human world, I have no doubt they'll investigate." Asriel said.

"Whoa bro, you almost sound like an adult there." Frisk said.

"I _do_ need to take up my fathers throne you know. Now...BOW BEFORE ME, INSOLENT HUMAN!" Asriel said in an exaggerated tone of voice. Frisk laughed and performed a theatric bow.

"Of course, anything for KING Asriel, lord of the Underground and a single mountain, may he reign forever!" Frisk responded, grinning. This set everyone off, and for the next few minutes, nothing of any real substance was said. However, Alphys finally managed to calm down and get everyone's attention.

"Alright you guys, we really need to go now." Alphys said, finding herself as the only one who could be considered even slightly responsible.

"Yes, I'm sure the owner would like to have his diner back." Frisk said, struggling to contain his laughter. Everyone agreed, and just like that, they were off.

* * *

They returned to Mt. Ebbot rather quickly and without incident, made their way through the now empty barrier room, and settled into New Home. Sans stayed outside to act as a sentry, ready to alert them of anyone's approach, as he could return the quickest, while Undyne left to command the Royal Guard to spread the word of both the barriers fall and the miraculous revival and royal ascension of Asriel. Alphys and Papyrus stayed to watch over Asriel and Frisk. King and hero they may be...but they were also still children. Papyrus immediatly started cooking spaghetti, declaring it "THE KINGS FIRST FEAST!". However, upon reaching Asriel's home and entering his room, both Asriel and Frisk collapsed onto his bed, their weariness from battle, near death experiences, and powerful magic usage, finally taking their toll on them. They barely noticed when Papyrus softly coaxed them under the covers upon their failure to respond to calls for dinner, nor did they acknowledge they were sharing a bed meant for one when there was a second bed clearly available. They simply slept, finally having a chance to recover their strength.

* * *

 _No...please...I didn't...it wasn't me...help me! Help me Frisk! Please!? Don't...leave me..._

Frisk woke up to Asriel shaking and crying in his sleep.

"Asriel? Asriel!? Wake up! It's just a dream. I'm here!" Frisk whisper-shouted, gently shaking Asriel to wake him.

"...Frisk? Where...what happened? Where are we?" Asriel said, slightly panicked, as he clung to Frisk, holding on to him like a lifeline, still shaking slightly.

"We're in New Home. You're safe here." Frisk said, trying to calm him down.

"Oh..." Asriel said. He didn't release his death-grip on Frisk, and continued to shake. Frisk held him close, trying his best to calm him down. After a few minutes Asriel released Frisk.

"What...what were you dreaming about?" Frisk asked tentatively.

"I...it was bad. Really bad." Asriel said, avoiding Frisk's eyes.

"Tell me." Frisk took Asriel's hands in his own, trying to convey support. Asriel finally met his eyes.

"...I dreamed...about my time as Flowey. Memories...mixed with fears." Asriel said in a tiny voice.

"Fears?" Frisk asked.

"...Sans. I...I thought he was trying to kill me...that he was judging me for what I did as Flowey. And you...you walked away. It was...horrible." Asriel said.

"I will never abandon you, I promise!" Frisk said forcefully. Asriel nodded, but still seemed troubled.

"Sans...He's really quite powerful, even though most of the time he's lazy and acts kind of silly. His skill with his magic is miles above anyone else." Frisk said.

"How did you...?"

"You're not the only one who's been on the wrong end of a Gaster Blaster." Frisk admitted, glancing away.

"You mean you..."

" _I pushed Frisk into fighting...killing...and you went along with it...at least...you as Flowey did. At least for the most part. You were terrified of us by the end. If Frisk hadn't overpowered me and RESET...I probably would have killed you."_ Chara said, her first input into the conversation. Asriel jumped in surprise.

"I RESET after I fought Sans. I'm aware of how scarily powerful he is...but..." Frisk pulled Asriel into a hug.

"...He's our friend now. So long as we never go back to that, as long as we're good, we never have to be afraid of him." Frisk said.

"But..."

"Asriel...Flowey isn't you. Not really. This, right now...that's the real you. If you're afraid of something, if you start blaming yourself for things...come talk to me, alright? I'm always here for you." Frisk said. Asriel wiped his tears away and nodded.

"Alright...Thanks Frisk."

"No problem bro." Frisk said, smiling.

" _Frisk? Next time you see him...see Sans...can you let me speak?"_ Chara said, recognizing the end of the conversation.

"Sure...but why?" Frisk said.

" _I want to apologize. I would apologize to everyone...but nobody aside from the three of us and Sans actually remember. It's no use digging up painful memories, especially if they don't actually remember..."_

"You're probably right Chara. I'll go see Sans tomorrow." Frisk said. They spent a few minutes in silence, before Asriel broke it.

"Frisk?"

"Yeah Asriel?"

"...Thanks. For saving me...for not leaving me behind, even when I told you to...for everything, really."

"No problem Asriel, you would, and have, done the same for me. We're brothers, and that means we're here for each other. There's no need for thanks just for that. Now...I'm going to get a drink of water. I'll be right back."

Frisk got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. After he drank it and put the cup away, he started to walk back to the room...only to see Sans sitting on the couch. He hadn't been there when he's walked through before.

" **Hey. You uh...look like you have something you wanna say?"**

" _How did he know? Was he eavesdropping on us?"_ _Chara said._

" _Maybe...but I prefer to think of it as him watching over us." Frisk responded._

" _..hmph."_

"No...but there is someone else who does." Frisk said. With no warning, he withdrew into himself and shoved Chara into the drivers seat. Frisk's eyes flashed and changed color, into deep red. Sans jumped off the couch, his eye flashing. Chara stepped back and held her hands up, showing her empty hands.

"...There's no need to worry Sans. You already know my LOVE was drained away. I'm not even armed. Let's not fight, I'd prefer not to have to explain to Asriel why we're covered in blood if at all possible, since I will not attack you." Chara said.

" **Force of habit. Those eyes...I'm used to avoiding instant death attacks from a psychopath when I see them."** was Sans' terse reply. He did settle back onto the couch, but was tense and seemed ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

"Ok...I deserve that. The only reason I asked Frisk to give me control right now...was to apologize to you. I'm sorry for hurting Papyrus...for what I forced Frisk to do to him in those other timelines."

" **Not for killing me?"**

"I apologize for that too...but I know you care far more for Papyrus's life than your own."

" **..."**

"Well...that's all I wanted to say. We'll never be friends...I understand that...but please don't hold Frisk or Asriel accountable for what was ultimately my fault."

" **How do you figure for Asriel? He was quite capable of causing trouble without your involvement."**

"His 'Flowey' persona was heavily influenced by me, since when he died, our SOULs were fused together. 'Kill or be killed'...was my way of life...not Asriel's. He only acted as he did because of my influence. He lost all of his positive emotions...nearly everything that made him 'him'. But my hatred, my anger...that didn't fade quite so easily. With that being the only emotion he could feel at all...can you really blame him for going a little insane? But that wasn't really him...it was me. So hate me...but leave them out of it. They're good people. They don't deserve...they shouldn't have a bad time. Just...keep that in mind." Chara said. With a small tip of her head, she retreated back into the recesses of Frisk's SOUL, putting him in control once again. He shook his head, and glanced at Sans. Frisk chose not to comment on what had just been said.

"Well...I'm really tired, and Asriel's probably still awake waiting for me to get back. So...goodnight Sans." Frisk started to walk back to his and Asriel's room.

" **Why is he up so late anyways?"** Sans asked. Frisk stopped for a moment.

"...Nightmares. I'm sure you can guess of what...or who." Frisk said. Sans nodded.

" **I see. You'd better get back before he gets too bonely."** Sans said. Frisk smiled and nodded,before headed back to bed. The two of them fell asleep almost instantly...this time Asriel held securely in Frisk's arms. They didn't notice a deep blue eye watching them from the dark hallway, nor did they react when a blanket became engulfed in a blue aura, which gently floated up and covered the two of them. They didn't hear the small sigh, or notice him leave. All they knew, is they felt truly safe.

* * *

 **A/N: Regarding the Frisk/Asriel relationship. This is NOT a romantic relationship, it's firmly in brotherhood territory, and the whole 'sleeping together' aspect is in fact derived from my own life about 5 years ago, when my younger brother would sometimes wake up screaming and crying in the middle of the night with night terrors, which basically acted as nightmares on steroids. He couldn't sleep after one without someone holding him, and it usually ended up being me, as I was the one who would wake up and comfort him. This is basically what's going on with Asriel, with Frisk taking the role of 'older' brother.**

 **I'm also aware that Frisk was 'saved' about halfway through the chapter. But...the rest of the chapter was needed to set up events that will lead to the next chapter, so yeah. I'm not going to let myself be strangled by my own chapter naming convention.**


	4. Breaking Point

**A/N: This chapter was originally supposed to progress the plot further than it does...but I underestimated the length, and would like to keep chapter lengths roughly consistent. Fortunately, this means you get this chapter faster than you would otherwise. Lucky you. As always, let me know what you think, and if you have some ideas for me to improve, I'd love to hear them. Enjoy!**

* * *

Frisk and Asriel awoke the next day completely refreshed, though they both, through an unspoken agreement, decided not to mention Asriel's nightmare. Papyrus and Undyne were already awake and hard at work cooking breakfast. Naturally, it was spaghetti. Frisk shook his head, but sat down and dutifully began eating the overdone noodles. Asriel was happy eating anything, after so long as a flower, being able to eat _anything_ was a treat.

" _I really hope there's some chocolate to wash that down...tastes like plastic. Someone should teach him how to 'really' cook. Undyne too for that matter."_ Chara weighed in.

" _They try really hard though, I don't want to hurt their feelings by saying anything."_

" _...Meh, it's your body, your call. Just...don't make the spaghetti a regular thing, give me some time to get used to it."_

" _Sure. I don't think I could eat this very often either."_

"ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR MEAL?" Papyrus asked in his usual exuberant manner. Frisk nodded, as did Asriel.

"It's been a long time since I've eaten everything, I'm pretty sure I'd settle for an old shoe at this point." Asriel said with a small smile. Since it wasn't a pun, it brought out a laugh from Papyrus.

"I've found that monster food tends to be a lot better than the food I'd grown up with...though I'm not sure if that's because of something about human food...or if my 'mother' was just a terrible cook." Frisk said.

"I HAD NEARLY FORGOTTEN TO ASK. FRISK, WHEN WILL WE MEET YOUR FAMILY?" Papyrus asked. Asriel froze, knowing Frisk's likely reaction. He wasn't disappointed. Frisk's expression, never very expressive at the best of time, had fallen completly flat.

"Never. I will NEVER allow that woman back into my life." Frisk said, his voice was eearilly calm...on the surface. But each of the monsters knew Frisk well enough to note the undercurrent of pure _hate_ present in his voice, they understood it to be the equivalent of someone shouting in rage. Papyrus was stunned and Undyne dropped her spoon that she was using to stir the sauce that both Asriel and Frisk had declined.

"ARE...YOU OK? IS SOMETHING WRONG?" Papyrus asked, a little scared. Frisk took a long breath, and sighed, before answering in a much calmer and neutral tone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you or anything. I...my 'mother', and I use the term loosely, is someone I hope to never have the displeasure of seeing ever again. As far as I'm concerned, Toriel is...was...my mother. She...she never treated me poorly, unlike _her._ Frisk's voice was filled with venom as he spoke the final word.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? DID SHE NOT SUPPORT YOU AND TEACH YOU LIKE PARENTS ARE SUPPOSED TO?"

"She never did anything but watch T.V. and drink, and throw bottles at me if I ever disturbed her, which was often, since my very existence seemed to bother her. She drove me out of that house...and up the mountain. If I never see her again it'll be too soon." Frisk said nonchalantly. It took a moment before his words sunk in, but when they did, he noticed Undyne's hand clench into a fist.

"...Frisk. Where...did you live?" Undyne said, restraining herself from shouting. Frisk instantly understood why she was asking.

"Undyne, I appreciate the sentiment...but I'd rather leave her in the past, not dredge up painful memories, even if having you go _talk_ with her would feel pretty good. It's done with. I don't need to see her ever again."

" **That's...not quite accurate."** Sans sudden input into the conversation made nearly everyone jump. Undyne had drawn a spear and leveled it at Sans before realizing who he was.

"Dammit Sans, don't startle us like that!" Undyne shouted.

"What do you mean Sans." Frisk said in a clipped voice.

" **A group of people are headed up the mountain. A bunch of people in blue uniforms carrying a lot of equipment, some of it being weapons...and a single woman, carrying a picture of you Frisk."** Sans said. Frisk's hands clenched, and he stood quickly.

"No...I'm not letting her take this from me. I've fought too long and too hard for this. She isn't taking this away from me!" Frisk said angrily.

"I'll come with you." Asriel said.

"No Asriel, I don't..."

"I wasn't asking." Asriel replied. The two stared each other down, and Frisk realized that Asriel was _determined_ to accompany him. Trying to fight him on it could be bad for his health.

"...Fine. But let me do the talking." Frisk said.

" **Want a lift?"** Sans asked. Frisk nodded, as did Asriel. Undyne, Papyrus, and Alphys all stood as one and affirmed that they too were going.

" **Alright...hang on tight!"** Sans said, and in the blink of an eye, they were standing in the barrier room.

" _What are all of you going to do?"_ Chara asked Frisk and Asriel. Sans, Undyne, and Alphys didn't react to her voice.

" _Hmm, that's unexpected...I think...only you two can hear me like this. I can only talk to others if Frisk gives me control of his body."_ Chara said. Asriel and Frisk nodded.

" _That's fine. As for what I'm doing...hopefully nothing. I'll tell her I want nothing to do with her."_

" _But that likely won't be enough."_ Asriel said.

" _Agreed. I may have gone off the deep end before, but I do still know what humanity is capable of. They probably will think you're brainwashed or something and try to take you by force."_ Chara said.

" _I won't go. I'm pretty good at evading attacks, and it's not like they're going to try and hurt me."_ Frisk said.

" _...I hope you're right. The last time something like this happened...I died."_ Asriel said. Frisk felt Chara flinch.

" _I'm sorry."_

" _It's ancient history. Don't worry about it."_ Asriel said.

Frisk turned his gaze down the mountain. He could see the police forces steadily climbing the mountain, and the single figure that didn't match. His fists clenched tightly.

"Remember...I'll do the talking. Unless things go crazy, you guys should probably avoid talking to them. I love you guys, but they might take things the wrong way." Undyne and Alphys nodded in agreement, as Frisk and Asriel were the only ones among their number who actually had met humans who weren't Frisk.

* * *

"...Frisk? Frisk! You're alright! Don't worry, we'll get you home and away from those awful monsters." The woman...Frisk's mother, shouted as they neared them. Frisk stood slightly in front of Asriel and the others, making sure that there wouldn't be any mistakes about him being forced to remain.

"...No." Frisk stated coldly.

"No? Ah, they must have said some thing to make you say that. I brought a lot of officers with me to make sure you're safe, you don't need to be scared. So come along..."

"I said no!"

"...Frisk, this isn't a discussion, you're coming home now!" She raised her voice.

"Stop it!" Frisk shouted.

"Stop what?"

"Stop acting like you give a damn! You never cared...and now that I've finally found something that makes me happy, _now_ you decide to act like you care what happens to me, and try and take me away from them. But I'm not letting you!" Frisk said. His body language radiated hostility.

"That's not true Frisk, I care very much about you."

"Liar. You don't care about me, you're just worried about how you'll look when people realize I left and you didn't even notice. How long has it been since I fell? 1 week? 2?"

"I've been worried sick about you, if the hospital hadn't called..."

"You're a horrible liar. You never even asked if I was ok."

"Eh!? But...you're...but...you're walking around just fine, it doesn't look like anything is wrong with..."

"In any case, I refuse to leave. I'm being cared for and am quite happy where I am." Frisk said.

"Frisk...you don't have a choice. Your mother is your legal guardian, you legally must return." One of the officers added in. Frisk turned his gaze towards him, glaring.

"Legally under the laws of this country maybe...but I refuse to be subject to them. Asriel, as King, do you have the authority..." Frisk said, before Asriel cut him off, anticipating his question.

"Frisk, if you wish it, I can instantly make you a citizen of the Underground. After all, I'm the King. I already consider you my brother, after everything we've been through...after everything you've done for me...this is nothing. Do you want this?" Asriel was altering his manner of speaking, trying to portray himself as regally as possible.

"Immediately." Frisk knelt before Asriel, anticipating some sort of formal ceremony or something. Hidden from view, Frisk smiled, and struggled to contain laughter.

"Very well. As of this moment, you, Frisk Dreemurr, are now not only a citizen of the Underground, but I also induct you into the Royal Family. Henceforth, you shall be known as Frisk of House Dreemurr. In addition, for services rendered, I name you Grand Duke of the Underground. Rise, and take your rightful place, at my right hand." Asriel announced. He was smiling as well, and Frisk knew he was doing his best not to burst out laughing as well. He may be a king, but this formality was cracking them both up, the titles being bestowed meant nothing to either of them, instead being a smokescreen to prevent them from simply taking Frisk by force. Frisk arose and stood in the indicated position.

"Thank you your Majesty. As for the rest of you, I, Frisk Dreemurr of House Dreemurr, renounce my citizenship, and any other ties I may have to the human realm. I am no longer a citizen of your country, and thus am not subject to your laws."

"You can't...I don't know who you think you are, but my name is Melinda Kolt, and Frisk is MY CHILD." Frisk's mother protested.

"Frisk seems to have made his choice." Asriel responded.

"Frisk isn't old or mature enough to make a decision like this..."

"I just did. Do you think I'm going to listen to a neglectful and abusive woman such as yourself? I'd rather die than go back with you." Frisk stated. This instantly drew the police officers' attention.

 _Neglectful?_

 _Did anyone actually run a check on her?_

 _Were there any incidents?_

 _How did the kid end up in the underground anyways._

"What!? How could you say that...WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON YOU MONSTER!" Before anyone could react, she had reached into her bag, removed a pistol, and fired at Asriel. Frisk dove to the ground without even thinking about it, his instincts honed from traveling through the Underground. Asriel wasn't as lucky, and with a scream, he fell backwards.

" _ASRIEL!"_ Chara screamed in Frisk's head.

"Asriel! No...NO!" Frisk quickly grabbed Asriel and held him close. All around the wound, his body wavered and became less distinct. His SOUL seemed to be struggling to maintain it's integrity...and was quickly losing the battle.

"...I'm sorry...Frisk...Chara...I'm...not going to make it...am I?" Asriel said weakly. His form was already half gone.

"Asriel...I can't...not again...I can't lose you again! Not after all of this! Why!?" Frisk cried, barely holding back his tears.

"Frisk...don't cry...it's ok..." Asriel reached up and wiped a stray tear away from Frisk's eye, before falling back, his body finally reaching its limit. Frisk held the dying monster as he crumbled to dust.

"Asriel..." Frisk simply kneeled there in shock, unable to do anything.

" _Brother..."_ Frisk could sense Chara's sadness as well as their own, which shut them down even further.

"...Not much of a King, was he."

The reaction to such callous words was instantaneous.

"How DARE you!" Undyne roared, as she began throwing spears towards the woman who had killed Asriel, as well as the officers. The officers immediately sought cover and began returning fire. In less than a minute the slopes of Mt. Ebbot had turned into a battlefield.

Unbenounced to anyone, the dust that had settled onto Frisk's body began to glow.

* * *

Sans hadn't expected this. It seemed like the kid and Asriel had pulled a fast one on the humans, up until the woman lost her head.

" _ **K** ** _i_ d...you didn't deserve that."**_

Sans listened carefully

"...she doing? Did you know she was armed?" An officer spoke to his comrade.

"No, someone dropped the ball. Grab the kid and arrest the woman, we'll sort this out later..." The second officer replied.

"But what about the monsters?"

"If we're fast we should be able to get out quick."

 ** _"_ Not going to happen." Sans spoke harshly.**

"The hell!? How did he get there?" They shouted, drawing their pistols and firing. Sans dodged lazily.

 ** _"_ You're going to have to do better than that, especially if you want to kidnap Frisk. Now let me ask you a question."** Sans took a step forward, dodging when they fired repeatedly, until their ammo was spent. Sans appeared directly in front of them, no more than 4 feet away.

 ** _"_ Do you want to have a bad time?"** Sans said, his eye glowing menacingly. The two officers turned and ran.

 _ **"** **They killed Asriel, and are killing everyone else...this was the best chance at escaping the resets...and they ruined it."**_

The officers didn't even feel the magical blasts, as Sans eradicated their SOULs.

 _ **"I won't forgive this...** **No mercy."**_

Sans tried to ignore the rush of power...the EXP and LOVE he had just acquired.

* * *

"Hold on!" Alphys shouted, conjuring lightning and sending it flying towards a heavy concentration of police officers. With no hesitation, she bolted forward and grabbed her friend's hand, and tried to pull her to safety. She pulled with all her might, but couldn't even budge Undyne.

"Alphys...it's ok. Go...get to safety." Undyne spoke softly, so unlike her. The several dozen bullet wounds she bore were the clear reason.

"I'm not leaving you!" Alphys cried.

"You're...a great friend. I'm...sorry...I...couldn't..." Undyne smiled gently, as she faded to dust.

"Undyne...UNDYNE!" Alphys screamed in anguish. She didn't attempt to escape or evade the rapidly approaching enemy force. She didn't resist as the hail of gunfire swept over her, the first bullet taking her life.

* * *

"HUMAN! YOU MUST GET UP! IT'S DANGEROUS HERE!" Papyrus tried to get Frisk to move, but he was not responding.

"Get away from him, filthy monster."

Papyrus stood quietly, and slowly turned to face the woman who had spoken.

"I HAD ALWAYS BELIEVED THERE WAS GOOD IN EVERYONE. BUT YOU...HOW COULD YOU HURT YOUR OWN CHILD LIKE THIS."

"I'm doing what I must for Frisk."

"NOTHING YOU ARE DOING IS FOR FRISK. BUT I AM. I WILL PROTECT THEM...FROM YOU!"

Papyrus readied himself for battle, as she leveled the pistol at him.

"NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL OF MY TRAINING TO FINALLY PAY OFF!"

* * *

" _Frisk! FRISK! Dammit, answer me!"_ Chara shouted, trapped in a dark void. Surrounding her was a pale red light, the same color as Frisk's SOUL.

No response.

" _Now is not the time to shut down on me Frisk. At least give me control if you can't handle things."_ Chara said, softening her voice.

No response.

" _Frisk. Please...say something..."_

" _Asriel...why...why did this have to happen..."_

" _...people aren't nice Frisk. You're the exception, not the rule."_

" _Then what's the point?"_

" _The point of what?"_

" _Of escaping the Underground. Of freeing everyone...destroying the barrier...finally finding a way to truly save Asriel, after countless resets._ _Was it even worth it?"_

" _...I'm not the best person to ask, you know what I did. Humanity and I don't mix."_ Chara admitted.

" _...I'm starting to see why."_

" _Frisk?"_

" _They took Asriel away. And not just once...but twice! They killed him when he brought your body home...and they did it again here!"_ Frisk's voice was filled with rage.

" _Frisk!?"_

" _...They'll pay for this. I'll make them SUFFER."_

Chara gasped as she felt Frisk's SOUL darken. The light surrounding her seemed more sinister, something she associated more with herself than the peaceful Frisk.

" _What are you doing Frisk!? This isn't like you!"_

...No response.

* * *

"HEH...YOU'RE PRETTY STRONG..."

"Or maybe you're just weak."

"HEH. I GUESS I AM...I COULDN'T EVEN PROTECT ONE...SINGLE...FRIEND...I'M SORRY...FRISK..." Papyrus said weakly.

"...Papyrus?" Frisk slowly came out of shock...only to find his friend weakly standing in front of them, his armor peppered with bullet holes.

"I'M GLAD...I WAS ABLE TO SAY..." Papyrus's body crumbled to dust, as his head fell to the ground.

"...GOODBYE, MY FRIEND." And his head faded as well.

"Well...now that they're taken care..." She trailed off, as she noticed Frisk shaking.

"It's ok Frisk, they're gone now, you're safe..." She trailed off as she finally _looked_ at Frisk. He was standing alone, and on first glance, everything seemed normal. It was only when you looked closely that you saw the tension in his body, his clenched fists...and the faint red glow surrounding him.

 **"You've made a terrible mistake."** Frisk's voice, normally gentle and kind, was biting and harsh.

"Frisk!?"

Without any hesitation, Frisk entered a battle.

* * *

 **Where is everyone?**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 **Fight *Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 ***Check**

* * *

 **Melinda**

 **LV 05 HP: 72**

 **ATT:172 DEF:19**

 **Weapon:Pistol(+165 ATT)**

 **Armor:Jacket(+12 DEF)**

 **Your birth mother.**

 **Not even on the same level as Toriel.**

 **She killed Papyrus.**

 **Make her pay!**

* * *

"What's wrong Frisk?"

 **"...can you really be this stupid. You killed my friends."**

Frisk looked around the battlefield wordlessly, picking out the piles of dust...the only remnants of his friends. If possible, his heart grew even darker, nearing a shade of black.

 **"You killed them all...and I'll make you pay for it!"**

* * *

 **They're all gone.**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 ***Fight Act Item Mercy**

* * *

Frisk reached deep within himself, and grabbed hold of something that hadn't been there before. While he had been mourning, Frisk had realized Asriel's dust had merged with him, awakening a new power within him. The power he had grasped altered his combat menu...and a new option appeared as soon as he chose to FIGHT.

* * *

 **Attack *Magic**

* * *

With no warning, Frisk released several disks of red light, shaped like hearts, only with a large crack through the middle. Whizzing through the air, they impacted all around Melinda. For a moment, she was relieved.

 **"Raging Hearts...detonate!"**

...Only for the disks to explode, and countless shards of crimson light slamming into her.

 ***68***

She fell unconscious from the pain, unaccustomed to attacks targeting her SOUL. Frisk turned away from her.

* * *

 **Make them all pay.**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 **Fight Act Item *Mercy**

* * *

" _I'll come back for her later...but for now..."_

 **"Who's next."**

The remaining police officers slowly backed away from what they were rapidly beginning to believe was a demon child. Each and every one of them felt like they were about to have a bad time. They would not be disappointed.

* * *

 **A/N: Now I know what you're thinking. 'This isn't like Frisk, he's way too OOC.' Trust me. I have a plan, and it'll all make sense in the next chapter.**


	5. Savior

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I had this chapter conceptualized before I even started writing the story...but putting it to words was a lot more difficult than I imagined. I also just got a new job with more than twice the shifts than I'm accustomed to, so I had much less time and energy to write. Even now, I think this chapter could be better, but I have a nasty tendancy to procrastinate and nitpick, so I decided to hell with it, and decided to release it to you now. If you notice anything off, let me know. Enjoy.**

* * *

Bullets whizzed past Frisk as he continued his advance, wiping out any of the officers who strayed too close. Frisk found that humans gave him far more EXP than even the strongest monsters, and as such his LOVE was sky-rocketing.

Frisk raised a hand as a new hail of bullets rained down upon him, creating a red haze of magical energy backed up by LOVE. The energy coated him, protecting him from the few bullets that managed to connect. Frisk laughed insanely as they turned and began running again, chasing after them.

However, all this power was not free, Frisk's fingers and toes were smoking, his shoes and socks long gone, as the magic he was channeling was literally beginning to burn both his clothes and his body away. He just didn't care.

Two officers were separated from their allies by massive broken hearts impacting between them. Having learned from experience, they dove away before they could explode. Recovering their footing, they stood mere feet from Frisk.

"What are you!?" One of the officers shouted.

 **"What am I? You killed my friends...I am VENGENCE!"**

* * *

 **Finish them off. Complete your revenge.**

 **Frisk LV 30 109/164 HP(M-BURN)**

 ***Fight Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 _"...that's far enough Frisk!"_

* * *

 **At-*static***

* * *

Frisk clutched his head as something felt like it exploded within. His battle menu was replaced by static, before everything went dark.

* * *

"...where...am I? Why does everything hurt?" Frisk said. Sitting up, he took note of his surroundings...or lack thereof. Aside from a pale red light, there was nothing here, except for...

"I'm sorry...I messed with your head and gave you a major migraine with no warning...it was the only way I could think of to stop you." Chara said.

Frisk stood up, and stood face to face with Chara. In contrast to how he had last seen her, she held no weapon, and in all honesty, now that she didn't look demonic, she could be mistaken for a clone or twin of Frisk. The only difference was her green shirt to Frisk's purple, and her red eyes to Frisk's blue.

"Why would you...what...what happened?" Frisk tried to remember.

"You went a little overboard after...after Asriel died." Chara said.

The memories slammed into Frisk, and with them the anger. Frisk's expression changed back into an angry snarl, as the light dimmed to near black almost instantly. Chara let out an unhappy sigh. Her SOUL resonated with Frisk's, and she knew if she checked, her LV would not be at 1 anymore.

I was so hoping that he wouldn't slip back...

 **"...so why did you stop me."**

"Because I don't want you to give in to the same darkness I did."

 **"Get out of my way Chara, or you might get hurt."** Frisk said.

"Since when are you in control of me? I'll do what I want, and right now, I want us to sit here and talk." Chara said defiantly.

 **"Fine...if you insist...I'll use force!"**

Chara closed her eyes, sighing again, as the battle began. She winced as she saw her LV. But looking at it, she had an idea.

 _Frisk only has so much EXP...the stronger my LV becomes...the weaker his will be. Maybe I can use this...but I've got to be careful. If I go too far...this world won't survive two of us. Getting to 20 is probably the limit._

* * *

 **Don't give up.**

 **Chara LV 6 40/40 HP**

 **Fight *Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check *Talk**

* * *

"Now isn't this ironic. You're supposed to be the pacifist out of us, and I'm supposed to be the fighter, and yet here we are. Our roles reversed. But this doesn't suit us...I think you should stop this."

 **Frisk=Fight=Attack**

Chara dodged out of the way of Frisk's attacks, the simplicity of his movements compared to those of Undyne or Sans made avoiding damage child's play. Chara also noted that his arm seemed to slow his attacks if they came close to her. Chara used this to scrape along the sides of the attacks, drawing LV from Frisk in doing so.

 _He's holding back...even if he doesn't realize it._

 **"This is MY soul, you don't have a say!"**

"That isn't you Frisk..."

 _Though...I never thought something like this would happen in the first place. Frisk..._

* * *

 **Stay determined!**

 **Chara LV 10 56/56 HP**

 **Fight *Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check *Talk**

* * *

"Come on Frisk, do you really want this? To hurt people?"

 **"They killed them...they deserve everything they get."**

 **Frisk=Fight=Magic**

Frisk created several 'Raging Hearts', and sent them flying at Chara in complex patterns. However, once again Chara dodged them all, assisted by the fact that they slowed if they neared her. With this many attacks, Chara began having to truly avoid them, lest her LV overcome her.

 _Even with magic...he really doesn't want to hurt me. He truly is a pacifist at heart, no matter how much LV he has. His LV might be low enough...let's hope so._

* * *

 **You can SAVE him.**

 **Chara LV 19 92/92 HP**

 **Fight *Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check *Talk**

* * *

"...you haven't realized it, have you?" Chara said.

 **"Realized what?"**

"I'd hoped you'd realize it on your own, but I guess I'll have to spell it out for you. You're sitting here, raging and lashing out...but you have the power to save them all. Asriel, Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus...you can save them all with your power! So why aren't you using it!? Why am I forced to fight you for control of our combined SOULs?"

 **"What power, all I can do is...Oh!"**

"Yeah, _oh_! You're wasting time...and what's worse, with every Execution Point, every Level of Violence you aquire...you invite darkness into your SOUL, and with it mine. And no one wants to see my SOUL become fully corrupted...you already know what will happen...what I'll become if I gain even one more LV."

" **...But I...I...oh god! I...I killed them...** so many...and they were innocent. They didn't have a choice...once everyone started fighting. And yet I..." Frisk took a hesitant step back, then another, and tripped, falling back into a sitting position. He stared at his own hands like he was seeing them for the first time. The darkness slowly dissipated, and Chara felt her SOUL return to normal, at LV 1.

 **Frisk=Mercy=Spare**

 _There we go. Psycho grieving Frisk is gone, now it's time to deal with regular grieving Frisk...with a nice side dish of guilt. Lovely. I'm just glad that Frisk is a natural pacifist...if he hadn't been subconsciously holding back my SOUL would probably be in shreds right now._

Chara snapped her fingers, and the remnants of the magical attacks faded away.

"I don't think we'll need those anymore."

"How did you..."

"You're using my knowledge to create your spells, a remnant of when Asriel and I fused together. When you aren't actively resisting me, I can act through magic exactly like you can. At any rate, I think we should probably stop fighting."

* * *

 **Frisk is looking at you with a guilty expression.**

 **Chara LV 1 20/20 HP**

 **Fight Act Item *Mercy**

* * *

 **Frisk=Mercy=Spare**

"I'm sorry...I didn't..."

Chara knelt next to Frisk, holding him close.

"It's ok...you're a good person who just had a really rough time. It's ok, just let it out..."

"Chara..." Frisk was crying now, as he buried his head in her shoulder.

 _If I was still like I was before, this would be absolutely perfect. But..._

"Everything will be ok. I promise." Chara shook her head to clear the intruding thoughts and simply sat with him, stroking his hair, offering as much comfort as she was able.

"So what happens now? I want to save them, but I don't...I don't want to fight you again."

"Then it's a good thing you don't have to. I'm a part of you now Frisk, that includes some of your abilities. As soon as you called her out, I saw the hate on her face. I panicked a little, since I never want to see you or Asriel hurt, and she reminded me of...some things. I felt...well, I felt determined to protect you, even though I'm powerless. That determination caused me to accidentally create a SAVE point. But I can't LOAD, at least, not without your consent. So in the end, we have a second SAVE point available now. My SAVE point."

"So we can go back and save everyone, and I don't even have to fight you again."

"Yes...but Frisk, we need to be careful. If we mess up, we'll lose everyone again...and if you lose control again..." Chara turned away from Frisk, hiding her face.

"Is something wrong Chara? Do you...know something?" Frisk asked.

"...our LOVE resets even if we go back in time through LOADs or RESETs...but our memories remain, and that's what ultimately guides our actions and our thoughts. Frisk...I'm scared that I might lose you to that angry, hateful version of you. The more we're forced to repeat this..." Chara stopped speaking when Frisk wrapped his arms around her.

"I won't let it happen again. It caught me off guard, and I never even considered my power. I won't give in like that again, I promise. I'm here to stay." Frisk said solemnly. Chara tried not to show how she was affected by Frisk's words, remaining silent. She failed miserably, though she didn't actually make any sounds as her eyes began tearing up, and she held on to Frisk tightly.

"Let's go. We'll do it...we'll save everyone."

Chara tried to say something, something she knew was important, but cut herself short before she uttered a single word.

 _I'm scared...but I don't have a choice. If I tell him, he'll try and stop me, or he'll refuse to go back. But...I won't let this continue. If it comes down to it...if she won't back down...I won't hesitate. I won't lose them. I'm sorry Frisk...I just hope you'll forgive me._

The Soul-scape Frisk and Chara had been inhabiting began to dissipate, as Frisk returned to the waking world.

Perhaps things would have been different if she had spoken, or perhaps things were always meant to end this way.

* * *

"No! Please!"

Frisk stood, two Raging Hearts ready to fly forwards and destroy his enemies. With a thought, he banished both the readied attack, and the latent magical hearts which were preventing them from escaping.

"I...I'm sorry. I...I lost control of myself...and...just go...please...before something else happens." Frisk said quietly. The officers wasted no time, retreating as quickly as they could, their fear evident. If Frisk were to remain in this time-line, it would surely have come back to bite him.

 **"All sorted out there buddy?"** Frisk jumped, before spinning around and tackle-hugging the one person thay hadn't confirmed dead.

"Sans! You're...you're ok!" Frisk cried out happily.

 **"Yeah...but the others..."**

"Not to worry. I won't let this stay like this. Chara and I are going to fix it. I promise."

 **"...are you meddling with time again?"**

"I think you'd agree, this is the kind of situation that warrants use of that power. I know...we said we didn't want to use it again, but..."

 **"Don't worry about any of that. Just...protect my brother, would ya? He...he gave his all protecting you when you were...well..."**

"...I know. Out of everyone, he's the only one who never tried to hurt me. Ever. No matter what I did. Papyrus was...is, my best friend."

 _"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?"_

"No, you're my sis. There's a difference." Frisk said. From within, all he could hear was bubbly laughter.

 **"Heh, with you two looking out for him, I think he's good. Before you go...may I speak with Chara?"** Sans asked. Frisk shrugged, and closed his eyes, smiling softly. When they opened, it was Chara's red eyes looking out from them. Her smile disappeared as she realized she was in control.

 **"I don't think I'll ever truly be ok with you, not truly. There's a bit too much bad blood between us. But I think you had more than a little to do with Frisk pulling themselves together. Protect my brother and my king, and I think I can bury the hatchet."**

"...are you doing ok Sans? I haven't heard a single pun out of you."

 **"There are some times even I don't joke around. You should know that."**

Chara averted her eyes, bad memories appearing unbidden in her mind.

 **"But enough of that...Chara, Frisk..."** Sans eyes flashed, and one of them burned with blue flames.

 **"If they try and hurt Papyrus again...give them a bad time for me."**

"We're going to try and do this peacefully...but alright. I don't think either of us can settle for anything less."

 **"Good luck."** Sans said, turning away. He ducked behind a rock, and Chara knew if she checked, he'd already be gone.

"Well, now is as good a time as any...ready?"

 _"Let's go!"_

 _ **"LOAD:SAVE C1."**_

* * *

Frisk opened his eyes, slightly disoriented. He was standing beside Asriel, and opposite them...

"...WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON YOU MONSTER!" Melinda shouted, firing her pistol.

"Asriel!" Chara screamed, trying to warn him.

Frisk started to shout, but already knew it would be far too late...except it wasn't. Asriel had thrown himself to the side, avoiding the attack, while countering with his own flames, forcing Melinda to take cover.

"You're ok!"

"Of course...you didn't think I was going to let her kill me _again_ , did you?" Asriel said, mouthing the word again so no one else could hear.

"Thank god you're ok!" Frisk shouted, hugging him close. Asriel hugged him back.

"I didn't mean to worry you." Asriel said, forcing a smile. Frisk shook his head, and stood, turning back to Melinda, who had been shocked that her attack had failed, but took advantage of their distraction and was marching towards Frisk.

"I think that's enough." Frisk said, leaving Asriel and walking forwards.

"I agree, this has gone on long enough." Melinda said. Frisk shook his head, realizing that even though they were agreeing...they had different ideas of what that meant.

* * *

 **You've got a bad feeling about this.**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 **Fight *Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 ***Check Talk**

* * *

 **Melinda**

 **LV 01 HP: 55**

 **ATT:165 DEF:12**

 **Weapon:Pistol(+165 ATT)**

 **Armor:Jacket(+12 DEF)**

 **Your birth mother.**

 **Not even comparable to Toriel.**

 **You have to stop her before** **someone gets hurt.**

* * *

 _"There's no choice...is there? We're going to have to fight her."_ Chara's voice echoed in his mind.

 _"...There's always a choice, even if we don't like what they are. Asriel's power from the last timeline is still within me, and with his power and your knowledge, I can still use magic. I just hope it's enough. As much as I dislike her...I don't want to kill."_

 _"...Good luck Frisk. I hope you can win this."_

 _"Maybe I don't need to win. There's more than one way to fight a battle..."_

* * *

 **The sun is warm.**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 ***Fight Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Attack *Magic**

* * *

" **Merciful Hearts** , encircle and confine!"

Frisk created several floating hearts, very similar to his ' **Raging Hearts** ', only these were whole, with no cracks. They swirled around Melinda and attached to her legs before locking in place, refusing to allow her to move, while several others impacted in a circle around Frisk and Melinda, isolating them from both the monsters and police. She was trapped in an arena with Frisk, with no way out.

"What is this...what...are you?" Melinda said.

* * *

 **The breeze is cold.**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 **Fight *Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Check *Talk**

* * *

"You tried to kill Asriel. You shot at him, and believe me, if you had succeeded, this battle would already be over. As it is...I'm barely holding myself back. Get it through your head, I want nothing to do with you. It has nothing to do with any of my friends, it's entirely because of how you treated me." Frisk said calmly, hiding his emotions, though the struggle to do so resulted in his speech becoming very stilted and forced. Seeing as he had plenty of practice schooling his features into an emotionless mask, it wasn't hard to keep his face as an emotionless blank slate.

"...What happened to my little Frisk...my son? My son couldn't use magic, so what are you!?" Melinda asked.

 _"Is she really this stupid? Can't she tell you are barely holding back? And she's still acting like...like you stole your own body or something."_

 _"I think...she's always been like this. She's always run from problems in the past, refusing to face them, and making things up...blaming others...whatever it took to avoid responsibility. This is just another problem she refuses to acknowledge."_

"...Your son ceased to be when you hit him with a beer bottle for daring to ask for money to buy food. Your precious TV was far more important to you. I was sheltered and accepted into the Underground Kingdom, and that's where I'm happy. _Your son_ is gone...Frisk Dreemurr is all that's left now, and I want nothing to do with you.." Frisk said.

"...I'm sorry."

"It's far too late for that." Frisk said.

"I suppose it is. You aren't my son...not anymore. I don't know what you are now...but whatever you are, I can't let you act like you're Frisk. Frisk didn't act like this. Frisk didn't use this unholy power. I won't let you keep pretending!" Melinda shouted as she raised her pistol and aimed at Frisk.

 _She's completely insane, isn't she? I never saw this before...but then again I was scared of her back then. But now..._

"..So that's how it is. I'm still Frisk...but I know you won't listen to me. I don't want to fight you...but I won't just let you kill me, or my friends. I don't know if you ever truly loved me, or if I was just a mistake you couldn't erase. But...if you ever did love me...then please, just stop, leave this place...and don't come back. Again, I don't want to fight you. But, if you force my hand, I won't hold back." Frisk said.

* * *

 **Dust blows across the battlefield.**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 **Fight Act Item *Mercy**

* * *

 ***Spare Flee**

* * *

The only response was the click of a trigger, and the sudden crack of a gunshot.

With reflexes honed through countless battles in innumerable time-lines, Frisk dodged the attack a split second before she'd made it, dropping into a combat ready stance.

"Fine then...just remember, I tried to let you leave peacefully...fighting was your choice, not mine. I was willing to let bygones be bygones..."

* * *

 **The battle has truly begun.**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 ***Fight Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Attack *Magic**

* * *

"...but so be it. **Guarded Heart**." Frisk said sadly. A swirl of magic surrounded him, as he coated himself in countless glowing hearts, sliding into place like scales to become a suit of armor. Frisk winced as the tingling magic started to become uncomfortable, like slightly too hot metal pressing on his skin.

 _Magic is guided by intent...though too much and my body can't take it. It's like the mirror image of Determination, isn't it...magic burns up matter, just like determination melts monsters. Any more than what I'm using and I'll start burning up again._

"Frisk! Armor's good and all...but what you really need to do is face her head on! Charge!"

A spear flew over his head, and landed right in front of him.

 _Undyne..._

"Take it! You're strong, I know you can do this! Just...don't you dare lose!" Undyne shouted.

"Frisk lose? Obviously you haven't spent enough time with my brother." Asriel said, grinning.

"YOU CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU HU-...FRISK. I CAN'T EXACTLY KEEP CALLING YOU HUMAN WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY OF YOU HERE, CAN I?"

Despite the situation, Papyrus managed to make Frisk crack a smile.

"Ok! Undyne, Papyrus, Alphys, Sans...Asriel! I promise I won't lose!" Frisk shouted back.

 **"Just make sure you come back to us safe and sound, alright? You gotta _femur_ careful or you're gonna get _boned_!"** Sans added in. Frisk nodded solemnly at Sans. He was never sure exactly how much Sans remembered between RESET's, but he was willing to bet he was at least vaguely aware of what had happened.

"...by the way, thank you for the spear Undyne. I'm glad we've worked past our differences, and that you're now willing to protect me." Frisk said, as he reached out to take it. The moment he touched the spear, his SOUL turned green, the spear creating a shield for him. It was quickly used to deflect another gunshot.

* * *

 **She won't back down.**

 **Frisk LV 1 20/20 HP**

 ***Fight Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 **Attack *Magic**

* * *

"Enough of this. **Heart-breaker**!" A massive heart appeared above and in front of Frisk, its tip pointing directly away from Melinda. It cracked and released a large beam of red light from its center, aimed directly at Melinda. It slammed into her and sent her sprawling back as the spell dissipated.

 ***13***

"Ungh! What was that..."

"That was ' **Heart-breaker** ', a spell formed from my own experiences. It's power depends on how much I care about someone. The more I care, the less damage it'll do. The inverse is also true. Of course, all magic is fairly weak against humans, so only the strongest attacks will do more than cause a few scratches. Fortunately for you, my philosophy is pacifism, so it won't kill you, no matter how strong it is." Frisk said. He shook his hands, which were smoking slightly, trying to ease the pain.

 _Most monsters couldn't do more than 3 or 4 damage per hit to me...and I just did 13 to her at LV 1. Of course, I'm also paying the price for it._

Melinda looked herself over, noting the gashes and burns from the attack, and trying not to scream in pain.

* * *

 **What will it take to end this?**

 **Frisk LV 1 18/20 HP(M-BURN)**

 ***Fight Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 ***Attack Magic**

* * *

Taking advantage of her distraction, Frisk rushed forwards, and lashed out at her, targeting her weapon with his spear. Unfortunately, she reacted in time, pulling away from the strike, only taking a glancing hit to her hand. A glancing hit, however, still deals full damage with magical weapons, which Undyne's spear qualified as.

 ***7***

"Agh! You...how dare you!"

"I warned you. Leave. I still don't want to fight you. If you leave, I won't chase you."

* * *

 **She won't back down.**

 **Frisk LV 1 17/20 HP**

 **Fight Act Item *Mercy**

* * *

 ***Spare Flee**

* * *

"I don't take orders from you!" Melinda shouted.

"Likewise. I'll only listen to people I respect and trust. You qualify for neither." Frisk said. Melinda narrowed her eyes.

"...So be it."

Melinda began to fire her weapon rapidly. Frisk deflected the first two shots that came close, but the third made it past his defenses, slamming into his armor. The impact destabilized the magic, causing the armor to disintegrate, though it still mostly protected Frisk from the impact.

 ***4***

* * *

 **You're beginning to suspect you won't be able to end this fight peacefully, no matter what you do.** **But...**

 **Frisk LV 1 13/20 HP**

 **Fight Act Item *Mercy**

* * *

 **Spare *Flee**

* * *

"I think that's enough. You've shown that you're trying to kill me, so continuing is pointless." Frisk said.

"What!?"

With a wave, Frisk allowed the hearts that were isolating them to dissipate.

"I'm not going to fight you anymore. Instead, I'll allow the gentlemen you brought with you to handle this."

"The police? They're here to help me, not you!"

"Why did you bring them then?"

"To rescue you from these monsters, who've turned you against me!"

"...by shooting me? You have an interesting definition of 'save'."

She opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by an officer tackling her to the ground from behind. He started ordering her to stand down and relinquish her weapon.

"You can't do this! I want my son back! I just need to destroy this FAKE!" She screamed. The officers disregarded her shouts, focusing on holding her down, while she bucked and screamed. Frisk sighed in exhaustion, and fell to his knees. Asriel quickly arrived next to him, pushing healing magic into him.

"Erm...I'm not sure exactly what it was you did, but I'll need to ask you to come with me to the station." An officer said as he approached. Asriel moved to defend Frisk, but Frisk grabbed his wrist and shook his head. Asriel nodded, agreeing silently not to fight. He turned back to the officer.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen. Frisk Dreemurr is under my protection, and acted within the laws of the Underground to protect himself from an attack. If you wish, you may have your country send diplomats to discuss this, but until then, Frisk will stay with us." Asriel said.

The officer nodded, not even attempting to argue.

"Ok then, at least I have something I can tell my boss. And off the record kid, that was pretty amazing. You held her off without being killed, even while being shot at. No one is going to seriously try and charge you with anything, though some people will probably want to know how to do that crazy magic you used. As for trying to take you in...I just needed to try and do something, or it could have meant my job."

"I understand officer. You're just doing your job, just like when you thought I was kidnapped. Now that you know I'm not, you can head back now. Thank you, and have a good day." Frisk said. The officer tipped his hat, turned, and left. When they were alone, Asriel knelt next to Frisk.

"You ok Frisk?" He asked.

"...Is it over?" Frisk asked quietly.

"I think so. That was...pretty amazing Frisk. You didn't even have to hurt them...not really."

"...You and I both know that's not true. LOADing might let us get it right...but it's not a cure-all, I still need to face myself, and acknowledge the consequences." Frisk said. Asriel nodded.

"Yeah, I know that all too well." Asriel said. Frisk noticed that none of their friends had come forward yet.

"Wait...where did the others go?"

"I sent them back to the Underground for now...sometimes being King has its perks. After all...I wasn't going to let them get killed again. Better safe than sorry." Asriel said. Frisk nodded.

"We should probably head back though, let them take care of her..." Asriel said, before a shriek of rage interrupted him.

"BASTARDS! I won't let you escape!" Frisk turned at the sudden shout to see Melinda had bucked off the officers pinning her and reclaimed her pistol, aiming directly at him. There was no time to dodge or block. Frisk slammed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact, as the gunshot rang out over the mountainside. Frisk felt an intense pain in his SOUL, and a huge chunk of magic disappeared, taking much of his remaining strength with it, leaving Frisk exhausted and on the verge of unconsciousness. He opened his eyes hesitantly, looking himself over, trying to find the damage. There was none.

 _"You...idiot. You just...couldn't leave him alone. You were never...going to stop...until you killed someone, were you? What the heck were you thinking...if you even were thinking...your actions call that into doubt. You do realize you're now guilty...of murder. I wonder...what those officers pinning you...will have to say about that."_ A familiar voice said.

Frisk looked up, and saw the last person he ever expected to be there. Chara had manifested in front of Frisk, taking the hit for him. The officers in question had finally disarmed Melinda and were marching her to a squad car, and were warily approaching Frisk, Chara, and Asriel. Frisk and Asriel completely ignored them, focusing instead on Chara, Frisk catching her in his arms as she fell back. He winced as he felt something that felt suspiciously like blood coat his arms. Frisk noticed that at this point his magic had completely disappeared, Chara having taken everything he had. He couldn't even feel the soft power of whatever he had absorbed from Asriel in the previous timeline, which he guessed Chara had taken in order to stabilize her conjured body. Her body was ever so slightly transparent, and within her chest they could see her colorless SOUL, trembling and cracked.

* * *

 **The wind has stopped.**

 **Frisk LV 1 1/20 HP**

 **Fight *Act Item Mercy**

* * *

 ***Check Talk**

* * *

 ***Chara**

* * *

 **Chara: The Redeemed Demon Child**

 **LV 01 HP: .01/20**

 **ATT:0 DEF:0**

 **Weapon: None**

 **Armor: None**

 **Her body is formed of magic.**

 **Her SOUL is damaged.**

 **Clinging to life with _Determination_.**

* * *

"Chara?" Frisk said, his voice trembling with worry.

"You're...going to be okay, right Chara? Please..." Asriel said.

"...This is the way it had to be, Frisk...Asriel. She wasn't going to stand down...she doesn't even recognize that she was in the wrong. There was always going to be someone who died here. Best it be someone who isn't technically alive." Chara said.

"No! It can't be..." Asriel said, beginning to cry.

"But why!? We can stop it! I can LOAD! You don't need to die like this!"

"Frisk...my SOUL is empty...my emotions...my LOVE, it's derived from you. When you're angry, sad, and happy, so am I...but I'll continuously drain away your positive emotions, leaving you just as empty as me...and as Flowey. And empty SOULS are easily to fill with rage and hate...easy to corrupt into cold killers. Asriel knows this all too well."

"But Chara, even if that's true...you don't need to die to stop it! We can figure something out..." Frisk said. Chara shook her head.

"The emptiness inside my SOUL is filled with your emotions, leaving your SOUL unstable at best. I used that to save you before...I drained away the hate and anger you felt after she killed Asriel, letting you return to normal. But it's dangerous...and I refuse to risk that again. As I am right now, I'm a parasite, and as long as I exist...you can quite easily fall into that state again. This...is the best way to save you from that. You know I'm speaking the truth. Even if she hadn't shot me...I still would have had to separate myself from you...at least this way my death means something. Please accept that this is my choice, and don't try and stop me."

"I...you...it wasn't supposed to be like this..." Frisk said, tears beginning to fall.

"I don't want to lose you again..." Asriel said, continuing to weep.

"It's ok guys. I...I truly died a long time ago, and in a way that got my brother killed too. By joining my SOUL with yours, I just got a little extra time...met a cool guy who became my younger brother...got to see my monster bro one more time...and even felt happiness and joy for the first time in a long time. I even get to say goodbye. In this one day, just being with you, seeing how you two truly love each other...I lived more in this one day than I ever did back when I was truly alive, since you helped me past my issues. I...I'm ok with this. Please don't cry...not over me. I'm really not worth it."

"Chara!" Frisk cried, finally breaking down fully, as both he and Asriel clutched Chara's fallen form close.

"Of course you're worth it! Chara..." Asriel cried. Chara smiled sadly.

 _"...I really...love you two. Thank you...so much...for caring about me."_ Chara said weakly, before closing her eyes.

"Chara! I...Thank you for saving me. I...I want you to know how much that means to me, before you disappear." Frisk said suddenly, clutching her hand tightly. She smiled softly.

 _"I know Frisk. Please...stay safe...both of you. Frisk...Asriel...Goodbye, my precious brothers."_ Chara's body relaxed, as she stopped holding on, letting her determination, and thus her life, die away. Her body turned to dust, and fell into a small pile. The officers wisely decided that this was a private moment, and after a quick question on who Chara was, decided to leave the two alone to mourn.

* * *

It took a long time before Asriel and Frisk could stop the tears, and even longer before they could bring themselves to leave, and even then, Asriel refused to leave without gathering the dust into an urn he hastily created with his magic. They found Papyrus and Sans waiting a short way into the underground.

 **"So...how did things go with you three?"** Sans asked. Frisk and Asriel flinched.

"...two Sans. Chara...protected me. She...she's gone." Frisk said. Asriel started crying again softly.

 **"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."** Sans hastily tried to apologize, but the two waved him off.

"We know Sans. If you don't mind...we really don't want to talk. Can you please just take us home?" Asriel said. Neither answered, though Papyrus gathered the two children into a hug, picked them up, and began walking towards New Home silently, clutching the two of them together. They didn't complain, holding each other and quietly crying over their loss. Sans walked alongside them, keeping an eye on them, concern etched across his features. Papyrus took them into their room upon their arrival and set them on their bed.

"I...AM SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING...JUST ASK US. WE'LL BE AROUND IF YOU NEED US." Papyrus said, before letting himself out.

When the door closed, Asriel waved his hand at the door, from which a solid 'Click' of a lock setting into place was clearly heard. Without words, Asriel grabbed Frisk and clutched him into his arms, and started crying anew. Frisk had managed to regain control of his emotions to a degree, and instead of crying, offered comfort to the monster child. After some time, Asriel looked up into Frisk's eyes.

"Why?" Is all he asked.

"...She already told us. I thought we saved her...no, we _did_ save her, from the darkness in her own SOUL at least...but she decided that she couldn't stay, not if it risked hurting me. Asriel...I know it's hard, even I'm still upset at everything that's happened, but...we can't shut everyone out, sit in our room, and cry. We...we need to keep going. We need to _live._ You're the King of Monsters...and given what I've done, I'm probably the closest thing they have to a savior. So we need to pick ourselves up and keep going."

"But how do we..."

"We do it for Chara. I won't throw away the life she gave hers to save. I'll...I'll try and make life easier for monsters on the surface, maybe like an ambassador, helping you integrate all monsters into the world, and keep humans from attacking again. I'll save as many lives as I can, to repay the one lost to save mine. And you...well, you're the King of Monsters now, your life should be pretty interesting. And when we do grow up, get old, and finally leave this world...we'll see Chara again, with plenty of stories to tell her."

"Do you really think so? But Monster SOULs don't stick around after...well..." Asriel said.

"Lots of people think there's life after death. Even if monster SOULs are a bit different...all of you still have one. When SOULs disappear, I think they go somewhere. I truly believe that we'll see Chara again. So until we do...let's do our best. Ok Asriel?" Frisk said, a fragile smile on his face. Asriel nodded, drying his tears.

"Ok. We...should probably let the others know we're ok now." Asriel said. With a final sniffle, Asriel stood up, and walked towards the door.

"Let's go." Asriel said, offering his hand to Frisk. Frisk took it, and together, they left to face the world once again.

* * *

 **A/N: And all that's left is the epilogue. I hope this sets some of your worries about the previous chapter to rest. I know the tone changed, but around halfway through writing the story I realized that nothing ever goes perfectly. In this world...you can't SAVE everyone. But your choices aren't the only ones that matter. Frisk might have been able to RESET and save Chara's life...but she recognized the danger there, and chose to forbid it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


End file.
